Photo by Norman Cho>
Freshman Ernie Kent (35) vs. Stu Jackson
The Green beats the Gold
in basketball preview
By DON CHAPMAN
Of the Emerald
Intra-squad games aren’t supposed to prove
much. But last night’s Oregon Varsity Preview
game proved enough to make it worthwhile.
Coach Dick Harter and his assistants learned
last night Oregon’s basketball team is far from
ready for Pac-8 competition.
For the fans who came expecting a game of
precision basketball, the error-filled contest may
have been a disappointment. But neither coaches
nor players expected perfection in the first outing of
the year for the young Ducks. By every measure,
the game was a success.
“What I liked best,” said assistant coach Dick
Stewart amid autograph-hungry fans after the
game, “was that it got better as the game went on.
They started out really tight at the beginning, but
everything loosened up some as we went along. I’m
glad we played the game just for that reason.”
The Green team defeated the Gold team, 68-47.
Although Dick Harter thought the two teams would
be evenly matched, the Green team used their
combination of experienced veterans and shaky
freshmen to win decisively. Both Harter and
Stewart had words of praise for veterans Ken
Stringer, who led all scorers with 19 points, Bruce
Coldren, and Ronnie Lee, all of the Green team
“We were especially pleased with the in
telligent play of some of our veterans,” said
Stewart. “The experience they picked up last year
was very evident tonight Their experience is going
to pay off for us this year.”
The combination of Stringer, Coldren, and Lee
totaled 45 points, just two points less than the entire
Gold team scored. The Green team veterans did not
do the job alone. Freshman Greg Graham played
well and displayed a cool hand under pressure.
Ernie Kent, outstanding freshman for the Gold
team, also played well and will give the Ducks an
aggressive back court combination when teamed
with Ronnie Lee or Mark Barwig.
The game was far from a potent offensive show,
especially in the early going Both teams appeared
nervous and tight before the game. The opening
minutes saw much in the way of fouls, turnovers,
dropped passes, and missed shots, but little scoring.
After seven minutes the score was tied at 8-8.
At that point Ronnie Lee stole the ball and raced
the length of the court for a lay-in. He was fouled,
made his free throw, and the Green team was off.
They never trailed again, although Kent brought the
Gold team to within four points at the half on two
consecutive steals which led to easy baskets.
The early game jitters did not affect only the
freshmen.
Gerald Willett, starting center and no stranger
to varsity competition, said he missed three lay-ins
early in the game because of nervousness.
“I have to get used to playing in front of people
again,” said Willett.
Willett, who again seems to have the inside
track on starting center, played 34 minutes, more
than any other player and should be well on the way
to adjusting to playing before an audience.
Although Dick Harter was not pleased with the
number of turnovers—both teams combined for 49
turnovers in the game—he did like the aggressive
and enthusiastic play the Ducks showed But getting
an optimistic word from Harter is more difficult
than churning home-made ice cream with a broken
arm
‘‘We’re not where I had hoped we would be. I
would have liked to have been further along at this
point,” said Harter
Dick Stewart, himself no popcorn popper of
optimism, did see a few encouraging things. While
noting the deluge of mistakes (“You could write
8000 pages about what we didn’t do right.”), Stewart
would say, “Everybody played super at times
tonight, and everybody also made some bad
mistakes. The best thing I saw tonight was the
enthusiasm everyone showed We were so tight at
the beginning of the game because everyone wanted
to play perfectly. That made us tight and we made
some bad mistakes.”
Harter and his staff will spend Thanksgiving
vacation studying films of the game. The coaches
will see the many mistakes many times. They know
how far their team is from being a good team. Now
they settle down to putting the lessons of the
Preview game to practical use.
1
Reynolds, Hackenbruck on opposite teams, this time
By BOB WELCH
Of the Emerald
Three years ago Oregon State defensive tackle
Jerry Hackenbruck was opening holes for Donnie
Reynolds as Corvallis High School marched to the
State AAA football championship.
But this Saturday at Autzen Stadium he’ll be
trying to close holes for Reynolds as Oregon and
Oregon State clash once again in their yearly battle.
Hackenbruck and Reynolds have been close
friends since the days of Bob Berry, Mel Renfro,
Pete Pifer. real grass and $4 reserve seat tickets. It
was in 1964 — the same year that Oregon State beat
Oregon 7-6 to begin their eight-game win streak —
when the two met up
“We were pretty close,” Hackenbruck
remembers. “We used to bum around together a lot.
We were always playing football at Parker Stadium
or watching the Beavers practice or stealing tape
from the locker room Donnie taught me how to
sneak into Gill Coliseum to watch basketball
games.”
Hackenbruck and Reynolds played on the same
Junior High team for three years and the same high
school team for three years. As juniors, Corvallis
was second in the state. As seniors, they were the
best in Oregon.
“Hack was a real good high school athelete,” says
Reynolds “He was one good tight end. He’s so
strong, he just moved people out of the way. If we
were running to his side I was sure there’d be a
hole,”
There were enough holes to enable Reynolds to
gain 1227 yards, average 9.5 yards per carry and
score eight touchdowns of 50 yards or more his
senior year.
But after warming the bench together in
basketball during the winter and receiving
diplomas in the spring, Hackenbruck signed with
the Beavers and Reynolds decided on Oregon
because of the Duck’s baseball program.
Both would have liked to have gone to the same
college. But things didn’t work out. They split for
the first time in seven years.
As freshmen, Hackenbruck played tight end for
Oregon State’s freshman team while Reynolds was
at tailback for the Duck frosh. But Jerry did get to
tackle Donnie once on a kick return.
“He was a little off balance to start with but I
got him,” says Hackenbruck. “1 think I said
something like, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ to him after I
tackled him.”
“I remember going back to the huddle
laughing," recalls Reynolds. “It was a typical Hack
comment. You'd have to know him to appreciate it.
Shoot, it was funny, we’d been friends for so long
and there he was tackling me.”
Hackenbruck knows Donnie can run, even if he
didn’t get to tackle him but once.
“I remember him breaking three tackles before
anyone could bring him down. Of course, he’s been
doing that all his life.”
Last year Reynolds made his homecoming
unforgettable, breaking a 60-yard touchdown run on
the first play from scrimmage, the beginning of the
Duck’s first win in nine years, 30-3. It was nothing
new for Reynolds to be in the Parka- Stadium end
zone, holding a ball in the air after a touchdown. In
high school he had spent more time on Friday nights
in the end zones than he did between them.
“It’s the kind erf run you dream about,”
Reynolds says about last year’s jaunt. “But last
year was last year. If the game has any effect it will
probably be on Oregon State. They know the pain of
losing to us. And Coach Andros will be remem
bering last year’s game.”
So will Hackenbruck.
“It hurt bad losing to Oregon for the first time in
nine years and we’ll be out for revenge. The Ducks
will be remembering how good it was to beat us and
we’ll be remembering how bad it was to lose. It
should be one of the more emotion-laden games in
recent years.”
Both teams have committed enough miscues to
make fans wonda if the split ends are bringing in
plays or mistakes. In the battle between Oregon (2
8) and Oregon State (1-9), that’ll be the key.
“Whoever limits their mistakes to a minimum
and capitalizes on the other team’s will win it,” says
Reynolds.
“Mistakes have been a problem for both
teams,” says Hackenbruck, “and that should make
the difference The team with the most poise will
win.”
Reynolds has gained 896 yards this season,
averaged 4.4 per carry and scored six touchdowns
Hackenbruck, who only saw limited action last year
as a sophomore, is the Beaver’s third leading
tackier with 79 stops
The 6-3, 205-pounder has been around enough to
know he can run.
“We’ve played a lot of good teams this year and
faced a lot of good backs but Reynolds is right up
thereat the top.He’s very comparable to Anthony
Davis. He relies on quickness and balance which
enables him to spin off tackles.”
And Reynolds has been around Hackenbruck
enough to know that he can tackle.
“He’ll hit me as hard as anyone else they’ve
got, maybe even harder. He’s really strong.”
Neither feel that the fact that they’re old friends
will hamper their playing, physically or
psychologically.
“I’ll be thinking about him but I won’t let up just
cuz we’re friends,” says Hackenbruck. “If he’s got
a chance to get by me, he’s gonna try his hardest. If
I’ve got a chance to get him, I’m gonna try my
hardest.”
“I don’t think I’ll have much time to be thinking
about Hack,” says Reynolds “I just want to be
ready for any white shirts no matter who they are.”
Reynolds will be ready. But will his injured
ankle?
“I hope it will be ready by game time. It hurt
against Stanford, but I didn’t reinjure it. It’s feeling
better.”
Both know that a win in this season finale could
make a poor season look a whole lot better. And the
winter a whole lot shorter.
“Beating Oregon’s not going to make a 2-9
season sound great," says Hackenbruck. “But at
least it will put a bright spot in it.”
“This is my most important game to date,”
says Reynolds. “Our season hasn’t been great and
it’d be nice to end on a winning note.”
Only the college football season will end for
Reynolds and Hackenbruck Saturday. They’ve got a
full slate of rugged, weekend touch football games
scheduled for this winter with a group of Corvallis
High graduates.
“It’ll be fun not to have to worry about all the
pressure,” says Reynolds. “And it would be kinda
nice to be playin’ on the same team as Hack again.”