We've attended a few more football games this year and we're enjoying the sport.
We've watched Doug Kreifels and Dan Krog of Lourdes, Budge Porter, Jon Orton and the speed twins, Pat Dawson and Bob Pease of the Pioneers and many younger players, including the Junior High killers . . . err . . . kids . . .
We don't want to put you down boys, but you wouldn't have had a chance against the ole' Washington, Kans., Tigers who roared onto the field in black and red and left in black and blue.
I've had a lot of favorite players at Nebraska City. One of my favorite quarterbacks was John Christensen who mastered the "keeper" and really thrilled the fans.
I guess everyone has his favorite power-man and mine was Jeff Fisher. It seemed whenever the Pioneers needed that extra effort for a first and 10 or a yard for a TD, the fans in the grandstand shouted: "Give it to Fisher."
Jeff is still playing football. He's a senior at Augustana college at Sioux Falls, S. D., and according to Bryan Mabie, he's just the greatest defensive athlete you've ever seen.
Ron Poggemeyer was one of the most explosive products at Senior High. He scored in some of the first varsity games he ever played in.
He was exciting to watch becasue he had that changing directions motion that make a good football player. Ron went on to play with Big Red and in Bowl games.
Well, I don't dare continue with this in competition with you fans who keep many sporting records. I don't keep records. I just like the game and get a bang out of watching the kids rough it.
I spring off the seat when someone like Bob Pease swipes a pass from Falls City and scoots 60 yards to score in what was probably the most exciting high school game we've seen for some time. I also come off the seat when two boys dressed in the best protective football equipment get into a scrap.
Meanwhile, back to the Washington Tigers.
They didn't have face guards (they had broken noses, instead).
I recall very well when our center had his nose smashed. (He is a brother of Mrs. Ron Goodspeed.) The coach took his helmet to Flury's blacksmith shop and had an iron frame affair attached to it.
My hindsight is pretty good . . . I wished I'd thought of the iron "face guard" first. Whoopie Landis said I still wouldn't have made a million because he remembers there were face guards on the market at the time.
(Thanks Whoopie, you just blew another million dollar dream).
The Buck's All-Neb City team.
Well, you've been wondering when it would come — so here it is, the Buck's All-Neb City team for 1973:
GENERAL MANAGER — Carl Wademan. His pep talks include something fresh in those little plastic bottles during a timeout.
LINE COACH — Jack McIntire, the Peru State coach. He's the only coach we know who carries an umbrella and still gets the he-man efforts of his team.
CENTER — Joe Krog, the father of the speedy sons. If Joltin' Joe can keep up with the kids, then he's gotta be good.
ENDS — Marv Eaton. Anyone who can raise good looking daughters and coach the Legion midgets to the state meet is deserving to be on the team. Don Abernathy wins a slot on the other side of the line. If you are good enough to take a 1962 Chevy and build a purple and gold wooden car that they want in a parade in San Francisco, then you've gotta be good with the hands.
LINEMEN — The brothers Ray and Ted Gruber. They're handymen with mallets and ball peen hammers at plugging up holes and straighteneing out fenders so they should qualify to level their opponents (Texas rules). On the other side of the line, Bob Swinney gets the nod, not because he's a school board member, but that does carry a lot of weight if we want to pit this team against the Pioneers or Knights at Hayward park. And next to Swinney is Deputy Sheriff Harris Esluer whose experience as a high-speed artist on the highways makes him invaluable against the speed-cons of football.
AT FULLBACK — There's only one man for this job and that's Bob Schultz, the smiling American Meter man. He's also a specialist in footwork as a sponsor (or whip cracker) for scouts who usher at Husker games.
RIGHT HALF — Don Hoberg. Any man who can zip around high country, bag a bobcat and return with the skin is the man we want to carry the pigskin. Besides, where we gonna git the uniforms and pads (lotsa them, too) if the Pla Mor man isn't on the team?
LEFT HALF — Really, sports fans . . . what choice is there . . . Jerry Hall, of course. With an extra effort, Jerry's swivel-hipped action will amaze the opponents so much, they'll just get out of his way. Besides, he's got a pair of lungs that'll last all night.
Well folks, we've had our fun . . . now let's get down to the nitty-gritty of this All-Neb City team. We've got to have a quarterback.
There's only one . . . The Rev. John McCabe.
Father McCabe is a good sportsman and knows the game. He has the height and can command the team. And he comes with the highest qualifications . . . after all, when you're behind in the game, it'd sure be nice to hear . . . "In the name of the Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen."