Southeast B-11 League
Tekoa-Oakesdale Nighthawks
1996 record: 0-5, 1-8, last
Coach: Ken Lindgren
Years coaching, record: 1st, 0-0
Starters, lettermen returning: 10, 13
Base offense, defense: Single back; 4-4
Top returners: Shawn Blackledge, sr., 5-11, 175, OL/LB; Jon Alires, sr., 5-10, 245, OL/DL; John Wall, sr., 6-5, 195, QB/ DE; Derek Teal, sr., 5-10, 160, WR/DB.
Newcomers: Andy Gumm, soph., 5-8, 180, OL/LB; Seth Perrins, soph., 5-7, 130, RB/DB.
Quick kicks: Lindgren steps up to head job after six years as an assistant that included a state B-8 title in 1992.
Coach’s comment: “Should be a good, competitive league this year. DeSales finished second in state and Waitsburg beat DeDales in the last game of the regular season.”
Outlook: The Nighthawks have the right ingredients to make a big jump with the offensive line returning and experience in the backfield. The prediction is third, but only two of the seven teams make the playoffs.
Garfield-Palouse Vikings
1996 record: 3-2, 5-3, third
Coach: Kevin Sheffler, Phil Morgan, co-coaches
Years coaching, record: 1st, 0-0
Starters, lettermen returning: 4, 8
Base offense, defense: Wing T or I; 4-4 or 4-3
Top returners: Brad Bischolff, sr., 6-2, 180, QB; Jason Cronk, sr., 6-2, 185, FB (from guard); B.J. Carter, 6-3, 265, T; Tim Herbert, sr., 6-2, 230, T.
Newcomers: None listed
Quick kicks: Co-coaches have 10 years of experience, but have their first head job taking over for Larry Stephenson.
Coach’s comment: “(Our strengths are) the quarterback position and … the lines, (we lost) many skill players. No expectations this year, we are very young and somewhat small.”
Outlook: The Vikings are young and inexperienced and a sixth-place finish in the seven-team league is likely.
St. John-Endicott Eagles
1996 record: 2-3, 5-4, fourth in SE-B8
Coach: Frank Watson
Years coaching, record: 2nd, 5-4
Starters, lettermen returning: 6, 8
Base offense, defense: I; 5-4
Top returners: Josh Siler, sr., 6-0, 190, QB; John Stoner, sr., 5-9, 150, E; Ryan Stolmeir, sr., 6-4, 215, E/K; Andrew Kolb, sr., 6-0, 170, LB.
Newcomers: None listed Quick kicks: The Eagles move up from 8-man with only 14 upperclassmen.
Coach’s comment: “This is our first year in the league. We will have to wait and see how we stack up against the opposition.”
Outlook: It’s tough to expect much moving from 8-man to 11-man, but being competitive in a couple of games would make a good stepping stone for the Eagles to build on.
Note: DeSales and Waitsburg are considered league favorites. Asotin and Pomeroy are other teams in the league.
, DataTimes