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Minooka honors high schoolathletesrtt5By BOBSONENFELDHerald Sports EditorMINOOKA — Minooka High School honored its football, cross-country and cheerleading squads Tuesday in Minooka s Fall Athletic Banquet held at the high school.Senior tackle John Dullard was named the football squad s Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Lineman. Junior quarterback Chris Underhill was chosen as Most Valuable Back, junior end Gary Williamson was Most Improved Player and junior fullback Mike Pierce was honored with a Sportsmanship Award. Senior end Doug Dix was picked honorary captain.Cross-country runner Joey Mills, a senior, was named the squad’s Most Valuable Runner, freshman Tom Clennon was cited as Most Improved Runner and senior John Wagner earned the Sportsmanship Award.Dr. W'illiam O'Brien, a National Football League official for eight years and a recreational chairman at Southern Illinois University, was the guest speaker.O’Brien, who will be wearing No. 83 on the Monday night, Nov. 25 game between Pittsburgh and New Orleans on national television, said that “looking at goals and not the won-lost record’’ is the mostline and callingimportant objective in an athletic department.O'Brien remarked that athletes ought to seize opportunities, reach for goals within range and set examples for others to follow.“I wouldn’t trade being resilient for any other attribute in life, the ability to bounce back,” he said.O’Brien, a field judge, has the responsibility of counting the 30 seconds in a huddle, judging the pass pla;s in the defensive secondar £nd making judgments cn punts, the endwhether a field goal clears the uprights.“My style ir simply to tell people what happened,” he said.O Brien explained officials are graded weekly on their judgments and they must learn to respond to criticism. “There is no place for alibis. Officials with biases just don’t last long in the NFL,’’ he said.The pressures of an official’s decision could be overwhelming, especially in front of a huge crowd“I’ve worked with guys who would throw that flag on the one-yard-line against the home team in a championship game and everything,” he said. “If you’ve never heard 80,000 screaming fans like that it’s just unbelievable.”O'Brien, 50, related some of his “little weekend trips in the NFL” to the athletes, coaches and parents In one instance, he recalled how a video tape replay confirmed his decision on Los Angeles receiver Jack Snow having his feet in-bounds on a touchdown pass against Green Bay. “Whew, that was a close one,” he confessed.A native of Ziegler, 111., O’Brien worked as the field judge in the 1973 College All-Star game and the Minnesota Viking-Washington Redskin playoff game.The official doesn’t get so much involved with the philosophy of new rules, but rather the enforcement of rules, he noted. Art McNally is the supervisor of officials in the NFL“Speaking as a player, coach and official, I think very few games are won and lost on account of the officials. Other mistakes have to be made,” he said.He said that “the official that hustles to move into position, sees the play and then throws the flag” is properly performing his role.Minooka head football coach Frank Abbott presented letters to his varsity squad which finished their season with a 6-3 record.Those honored includedBrian Bogart, John Dullard, Jim Wooding. Bob Eaton, Mark Hunt, Doug Powell, Steve Geiss, Jeff Brown, Robert Pazely, Mark Mitchell, Dave Mitchell, Bill Waite, Doug Dix, Mike Pierce, Reed Perry, Dan Sauerwein, Rick Van Asdelin, Hick Crismon, Gary Williamson, Bob Woodhead and manager Greg Karr.Minooka cross-country coach Bob Taylor, whose varsity finished 16-0 and the frosh-soph 13-0, awarded letters to John Stirniman, Keith Robinson, Jim Norton, Tom Clennon, Joey Mills, John Wagner, John Pate, Tony Mattingly and John Underhill.Those runners who received numerals included Dave Underhill, Tracy Todd, Dave Fonck, Hank Snow, Dan Daly, Mark Underhill, Joe Galloway, and Terry Underhill.Cheerleading sponsor Kathleen Kenney awarded her squad. The varsity included Kyla Musgrave, Sue Clennon, Beth Collins, Peggy McEvilly, Debbie Olmstead and LindaMauk. The frosh-soDh includedBrenda Cotter, Kathy Kopelman, Jody Paul, Jennifer Ward and Laurie Steffes.Sophomore football coach Joe Reische, whose squad was 4-5, honored the following players. Tom Albericao, Tim Eastman, Don Flynn, Terry Glennon, Bruce Miller, Stevj Porter, Doug Williams, Dave Bretsch, Bruce Edmaiston. Ron Flynn, John Severson, Dan Hadaway, Mike Mattingly, Barry Thompson, Tom Wirtz, Dave Charlton, Scott McCoy, John Fillipitch, Dennis Geiss, Scott Harvey, Ed Norton and Steve Young.Freshman football coach Kevin O’Neil, who led a 2-4 squad, honored the following players: Ken Bolte, Greg Brown, John Dunne, Jeff Powell, Chi Kovel, Mark Dean, Chris Williams, Allen Sanders, Gene Metrick, Brad Immel, Craig Shearer, Steve Wirtz, George Goldasich, Kirk Hunckler, Jay Ludeman, Gary Rickmon, and Jim Stratz.Ronald Lehman is the school's principal and athletic director.AthletesThese Minooka athletes were honored Tuesday with special mention at-the high school banquet. (Back row, l-r) Football players Chris Underhill, Most Valuable Back, Gary Williamson, Most Improved Player; Mike Pierce, Sportsmanship Award; # , John Dullard, Most Valuable Player and Mostrecognized Valuable Lineman. (Front row) Doug Dix, honorarycaptain; Cross-country Most Valuable Runner Joey Mills, Most Improved Runner Tom Clennon and John Wagner, Sportsmanship Award. (Herald Photo)
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Morris Daily Herald
Morris, Illinois, US
Wed, Nov 13, 1974
Page 9
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IL, USA 18 Mar 2020
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