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No, the sun wasn't out
especially late Saturday night.
What you saw was the glow of the new lighting system at
McKenzie's Rebel Field. Area junior high teams lifted
the lid on the high school season with the jamboree
Saturday night and the new lights passed their first
test.
I actually had to squint because of the luminescence.
The jamboree ushers in football season for area schools.
McKenzie, Huntingdon, West Carroll and Hollow
Rock-Bruceton will open play in the Huntingdon Jamboree
this Friday night.
Scrimmages will wind down this week, culminating in the
sneak preview at HHS, then the season opens for Carroll
County teams on Aug. 27. * * *
Speaking of scrimmages, McKenzie has steadily improved
as the summer has progressed. It took on a pretty decent
3A Lexington team and finished with a 4-4 tie.
Huntingdon and Dresden took part in a pretty physical
scrimmage at Paul Ward Stadium Friday.
The Rebels and Mustangs, of course, hope to be in the
mix for the Region 6-2A title, but they know they will
have company this season. Camden is purported to be much
improved, having easily handled Milan in a pre-season
scrimmage.
Likewise, Adamsville could be one of the surprise teams
in the league. The Rebs and Mustangs will have their
hands full this season. There isn't a free pass to that
homefield playoff game this season.
* * * Bethel College held its
first full-contact scrimmage and appeared to be making
strides. Coaches have said that the enthusiasm level has
only gotten more intense as camp has progressed.
The Wildcat defense was particularly solid while the
offense rotated a lot of players. The spirited scrimmage
Sunday will give BC coach Dino Kaklis and idea where his
team stands.
The team will have a 6 a.m. scrimmage today (Wednesday)
and begin work on Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday. BC
opens the season with Monticello on Aug. 28.
* * * Off the beaten path a bit,
but a word about the current Olympic games are in order.
I heard a radio host say that for three years and 350
days, he never thinks about water polo, swimming, track
and field or gymnastics. But for the other two weeks in
that four- year span, he's completely immersed in what's
going on in those lesser-followed sports.
There are a couple of observations: first, after winning
the gold medal in baseball four years ago in Sydney, the
Americans aren't there.
The U.S.A. team defeated Cuba in the gold medal game and
I maintain that if that event were held during American
hours, that victory would have been almost as big as the
1980 hockey triumph.
The funny thing is that the Greeks are playing baseball,
the Americans aren't.
Some could argue the American basketball team isn't
playing either. They lost badly to Puerto Rico and
struggled against Turkey in an exhibition game.
That just shows that the rest of the world is catching
up to us in men's basketball. * *
* A friend remarked to me that
the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves are the
two best teams in baseball.
The Cards, now probably 89 games over .500, appear to be
on the fast track to the real interleague season. And
just when you thought it was safe to write off the
Atlanta Braves, they open up a six-game lead in the N.L.
East.
It just goes to show you that the Braves have a program.
They have been winning for 13 years and that doesn't
appear to be ending any time soon.
Will the Braves go to the Series? Probably not, but you
have to recognize that these guys retool seemingly every
year and never lose a step. |
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