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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1982)
Gr«»hom Outlook. Today M a la iin « . W «d., S«pt I, 1982. Sandy Po»t. Thur».. S«pt. 2, 1982 _5 Gresham has Q Suppose you’re the coach of a high school football team You've got these two quarterbacks on the club and you’re having a little trou ble deciding which one is going to be your main man during the season. One guy is a senior and a really bright kid, the kind of guy you’d like to see your daughter go out with He stands around 6-3 and weighs 175 pounds Last year, his coach thought this guy was one of the most skilled quarterbacks he had ever seen But he broke the thumb on his throwing hand in practice and didn’t play a down of offense He’s back this fall, though, and looking as good as ever. Then there’s the other quarter back, who is the same type of guy. He's a junior this year but last season as a sophomore he stepped in when QB No 1 got injured All he did was call signals for the best rushing team in the league while completing 48.5 percent of his passes for 611 yards and five touchdowns. His team won six of nine games He’s back again, vy ing for the starting spot. So who do you go with? On the one hand, you have a skilled player with the leadership ability that goes with being a senior On the 'problem* most would envy TOM EUBANKS Injured last year MIKE PALMER Was soph starter other hand, you have your return ing starter. Now you know the question plac ed before Gresham coach Gary Stautz, who is looking at senior Tom Eubanks and junior Mike Palm er They’re the principals in the battle for the Gophers starting job, though the only rivalry bet ween the two is on the field. Quarterback is a position where Stautz has, if anything, an em- barassment of riches this fall. There’s Eubanks and Palm er but there’s also senior Todd Nagel, who would likely start for many teams in the Mt Hood Conference And as if that weren't enough, sophomore Steve Stebbins has received good notices from the Gresham coaching staff But it will be Palm er or Eubanks that starts on Friday. Or, more likely, Eubanks When asked the question, ’’Who's going to start?” between doubles ses sions at Gresham last week, the red-haired P alm er pointed at Eubanks. "H e ’s the senior,’’ says Palm er Eubanks says Palm er is pro bably right But, he adds quickly, ‘ We have three quarterbacks who could start for any team. If anybody has the least credit (to warrant a starting assignment), it’s m e.” Stautz hasn’t figured out who’s No. 1 yet and but that could end up being a decision he doesn't have to make. “ They both have skills that can help us," he says. “And they’re both the type of guy you like to have around. They’re both going to play a lot.” Palmer established his ability early on last season After getting the No. 1 job for the Gophs opening game, he developed into one of the Wilco League's better quarter backs, handling Gresham’s offense with alacrity His only really sub- par performance came against Reynolds in the season finale and that can’t be entirely blamed on Palm er, who was taken out of the game by a Reynolds tackier — at least mentally. “ It was on a triple option,” he recalls. “ I remember getting hit and then I remember being on the sidelines and Jim Pick (last ye ar’s center) asking me what a double nudge was That’s where we snap the ball without a count, but I didn’t have a clue.” Before being quizzed by Pick, though. Palmer played two series and threw an interception. That's all behind him now, though. “ I ’m looking forward to the new season,” he says. "Last year I felt a little pressure. I won’t be quite as nervous this tim e.” Eubanks spent the 1981 season with a pin in his right hand that wasn’t removed until just before the beginning of basketball season In the meantime, he was a situa tion player in the Gresham defen sive backfield. And while he didn't get in any time under center, Eubanks feels the experience was helpful. “ I feel I gained a lot of knowledge about pass defense,” he says. “ I found out where the seams are and where the defensive backs are while the ball is in the a ir.” If he can exploit that knowledge, Gresham could have a surprisingly efficient passing game to go with its already estab’ished rushing at tack. And if he can’t, well, there’s always the returning starter. JIM HAYS Say goodbye to the Wilco, hello to Mt. Hood It might take some getting used to, but the W ilco League has joined the Coast- Valley and the old T Y V leagues as pages in Oregon High School sports history. The Oregon School Ac tivities Association realign ment of last fall brought about a new league, and with it the need for a new name — the Mt. Hood Conference, which will be District 3-AAA. Gone a re C la c k a m a s , M ilw a u k ie and Putnam , which will move to District 9-AAA — dubbed the Three Rivers Conference — with Lakeridge, Lake Oswego, Oregon City and West Linn Gone, too, is Hood River, which finally gave up trying to compete with schools two and three times its size and dropped to Class AA W ith the re alig n m e n t, D istrict 3-AAA picks up David Douglas and Parkrose — both of whom competed in the Metro League until this year — and Sandy, which switches over from the Tim ber Valley League Those three schools join Barlow, Centennial, Colum bia, Gresham. Reynolds and The Dalles to form the new Mt. Hood Conference There’s something else new, too. This season, the nine-team conference will have an unprecedented four state playoff berths, which means a team will likely be able to afford as many as four losses without jeopai dizing its playoff hopes. The OSAA realignm ent brought down the curtain on the colorful history of the Wilco League. The Wilco league debuted in 1958 and was comprised of Reynolds, Wy’East, Molalla, Parkrose, Silverton, Sandy, J e s u it and Scappoose Reynolds is the only school to compete in the Wilco in each of its 24 seasons The league went through numerous change*, in align ment and by 1971 had ballooned to a membership of 14 It was then split into two divisions with Centen nial, Gresham, The Dalles, Hood River, Barlow, Lake Oswego and Reynolds form ing the Columbia Division The Willamette Division had C la c k a m a s , P u tn a m , Lakeridge, Oregon City, Milwaukie, West Linn and Tigard Columbia High was added to the Columbia divi- sion when it begar play in 1877 The two-division format was dropped in 1979 when an OSAA realignment pulled five teams out of the league. With that the Wilco became a 10-team league and re- mained that way until last fall. JIM HAYS ranee A winning meal, a winning deal. Two dollars off the fresh est, best-tasting pizza in town, topped with just-picked vegetables, fine i$2 I OFF I I natural cheeses and good lean meats, baked on a fresh- rolled crust. No mat ter how the game ends, you'll come out on top. TWO DOLLARS OFF ANY LARGE OR $1 OFF ANY MEDIUM PIZZA VALID ONLY ON GAME NIGHTS OFF| I I Only one coupon per pizza, please. Pick any variety on ihe menu. GOOD ONLY AT Gresham Round Table 2009 E. Burnside 661-6611 Expires 11/30/82 RmmbTabU N Pizza Restaurants W
