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E IG H T - The Heppner G a ie tte -1Im r*. lie p p n rr. Oregon V\r<lriodMv, AuguM 27. IW 6
Mustangs look to
playoff berth
By V*hin Conklin
Hoping to do what no Heppner
football team hat done tince 1981,
the M uttangt return 15 lettermen
and 26 player* overall in hopes o f
returning to the Clast " A " state
playoffs
The Mustangs annually vaw post
season action in the late 1970s and
early 1980» as the top team, most
often, in the Columbia Basin
Conference
In 1981 the Mustangs look a team
o f stars such as Robert Bier, Earl
Hammond. Doug Holland. John
Murrav. and I r e Rice and a 10-0
record into the state quarterfinals
before falling to a talented Oukiidge
team
Since then. Heppner's successes
on the gridiron have been few with
records o f 5 4 , 5-6, 0 9, and 3-5
respectively
However, the 3-5 league and
overall record under rookie head
coach Tim Birkby placed Heppner
fifth in the nine team Columbia
Basin Conference last season
With the 15 returning lettermen
and 26 returning players overall on
the 35-man roster, optimism is run
ning high in the Mustang camp ac
cording to Birkby
"O u r number one goal this season
i t to nuke the pla yo ffs," Birkby
said "Everybody came to practice
with a good attitude and everybody
has worked hard and hustled in prac-
lice They know what they want, and
what they want is a playoff b erth."
To advance to the playoffs Hepp
ner must finish first or second in the
CBC However that w ill he no easy
task as league champ Wahtonka
returns a strong nucleus o f last year's
team Umatilla, last season's other
representative in the playoffs, also
w ill be vtrong this year, as w ill
Riverside
"W e should be one o f the top four
teams in the league." Birkby said
"F ro m there it's who knocks o ff
whom "
"W e have Umatilla and Wahtonka
back to hack in the middle end of the
schedule," Birkby added, "and i f
we can heat one o f those two we
should be in good shape for a playoff
berth " Heppner travels to Umatilla
on F riday, Oct 3 and hosts
Wahtonka on Thursday, Oct 9
Last season the Mustangs struggl
ed offensively, only scoring a little
over a touchdown per contest The
defense kept the Mustangs in most
ly every game last season allowing
only 13 points per game However,
the opposite may he true this season
Heppner w ill start any five o f sis
seniors on the offensive line
The center position is set with
Kevin Cumutt (5 'l I " , 145 lbs) The
tackle positions are also set with
Jason Palmer ( 5 'I 0 " , 195 lbs ), an
honorable mention all-conference
pick a year ago. and Bob Riehl
( 5 '9 " , 175 lbs ) last year's Most
Valuable Play er Ihe guard spots arc
between Scott Dougherty (5 '8 ", 165
lbs ), Troy Hyatt (6 '0 " . 150 lb-. ».
and Arkie Smith (5 '6 ", 150 lbs ) A ll
except Smith started at limes last
season
Birkby brought back the option as
the main offense last season, run out
o f an " I " formation
The Mustangs w ill again run the
option, and running it w ill be senior
Joe Taylor < 5'6", 140 lbs ) who
started the last four games last
season after then viphomore Ryan
Duncan went down with an injury.
Since Duncan has moved to
Wadiington. sophomire Dick Devin
(5*11''. 140 lb s ) w ill back up
Taylor this season
Competing for the two offensive
backficld positions are seniors Scott
Buschke ( 5 1 1 " . 170 I N ) and
David Pedro ( 6 '0 " , 180 IN .) and
junior Scott Jones (5 '8 " , 140 IN ).
Pedro, last season's starting
fullback, gained 207 yards rushing
» '
Mustangs grab new coach
and Jones, in limited action as a
tailback, rushed for 183 yards Jones
was also die league's top punt
returner with a 14 2 average
The one weak spot offensively,
w ill be the inexperienced receiving
corps The Mustangs were counting
heavily on junior Duane Ball who
started at times last season However
Ball was unable to come back after
a bout with mononucleosis last
spring
In his absence, sophomores Craig
Angell (5 '1 0 ", 150 lbs ) and Bryan
Padberg (5 ’7 ” , 135 IN ) w ill start
at split end and flanker respective
ly Junior Mark Fishbum (5 '1 0 ",
135 lbs ) who saw time at tight end
split end last scavin This season he
w ill start at tight end
" W ith the loss o f Duane our big
gest weak points w ill he our receiv
ing corps and defensive secondary
Birkby said
Ball, a starter at safety last year,
intercepted three passes and was a
second
team
a ll-co n fe re n ce
selection
Replacing Hall at safety w ill be
Devin, while returning to start at the
comer spots w ill be Padberg and
Taylor
The linebacking corps is solid w ith
Buschke. Curnult. Palmer, and
Pedro Palmer was an honorable
mention pick last year at linebacker
as well as his offensive tackle post
tion Pedro was second on the team
in tackles with 87. placing him in the
league's top 15 A ll o f them, except
Cumutt started a year ago
Riehl, led the league with five
fumble recoveries and was fourth
with 116 tackles He w ill start at one
defensive tackle spot The other
tackle spot will be between Dougher
ty. senior Gene Harris ( 5 '8 " . 120
lbs ). junior Gene lancaster 6 '3 " ,
270 lbs ), and Smith Fishbum and
Hyatt w ill start at the two defensive
end spots
Palmer, who was the punter last
season, is being battled in practice
by Angell At press lime, the
kicker's spot was still up for grabs
Besides returning a handful o f ex
pcrienccd players, the Mustangs also
return a veteran coaching stafi
Birkby is in his second season as
head coach, but had four years o f ex
penence as an assistant coach before
taking over as head coach Let
Payne also returns for his ninth
season as an assistant coach The
other assistant cttach w ill be Steve
Brownfield who is in his first season
(see related story)
Returning non lettermen from last
season are juniors Scott Davis and
Doug Marian, and sophomores Jerry
Brosnan, Jun Brovnan. Jess Jeffreys.
Brian Kollman, Barney Lindsay,
Mike Mahoney. Jess Osmin. and
Ted Schwarr
Those turning out for the first lime
arc viphomore Jeff Rauch, and
freshmen Russell Brin. Phil Estherg,
Javm Mabcn. Slater Mitchell. Ryan
M ille r. Dean M unkcrs, Casey
Pedro, and Cory Rill
The Mustangs open the scavin at
home on Friday with a non league
date with the Weston McEwen
Tiger Scots
" It's good to have a game this car
ly in the scavin. especially a non
league game because we can Icam
a lot o f things, " Birkby said " I t w ill
give us a good chance to sec the kids
in a game situation W e 'll try and
play as many people as possible and
use the game as a learning ex
perience for everybody
"Everyone on the team knows
each other real well and can play
together as a unit, which is my
philosophy o f how fixHball should be
played." he added "W e should be
able to work well together "
The Mustangs could well work
their way into a playoff berth come
November if the blend o f experience
and inexperience can. as Birkby
said, "w o rk well together "
T s iS lf ig e r r
SQ
as time goes on
A lot o f talk has been made o f
Heppner reaching the Class * A "
state playoffs this year How does
B ro w n fie ld see the Mustangs
chances this seavm ’
" It's hard for me to say after sprn
ding the last eight years working in
the concession stand during football
games." he said o f his past respon
sibilities as a junior class advivir " I
do know we have vime talent this
year and everybody's hustling and
working hard in practice."
How long does Brownfield plan on
serving as a Mustang football coach ’
" I 'm just taking it one year at a
tim e ." he said " I ' l l wait until after
this year is over to decide if I 'll con
tinue in coaching If I feel com for
table with what I've done and feel
I 'll help the team with my presence.
I 'll be back But if I don't think I did
a good job this year then I won't con
tinue coaching "
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By Ashley ( o n klin
Steve Brownfield who this year is
entering his 16th year as a biology
teacher at Heppner High School has
decided to add a new twist to his
career as he enters the coaching
ranks
B ro w n fie ld , w ith no p rio r
coaching experience, has replaced
l.ee Block as an assistant foothall
coach for the Heppner Mustangs
" I wanted a change in my career
and vimething different mi I decid
ed on coaching." Brownfield ex
plained " I wanted to find out what
it would be like to coach "
Brownfield's duties consist o f be
ing a receivers and linebackers coach
for the varsity team and serving with
fellow assistant coach Lev Payne in
watching the junior varsity team
" It 's been a learning experience
so far. but I'm starting to feel com
fo rta b le w ith it (c o a c h in g ),"
Brownfield said " I'm just learning
J3e o o ^ n
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