R-C Sports Notebook: Tigers showed everyone a touch of Douglas football

The annual Sertoma Classic All-Star football game showcases the best the region has to offer individually every June.

And why not? That's what all-star games are about.

But, what spectators got a glimpse of Friday evening was perhaps the best program the region has to offer.

The seven Douglas Tigers who participated in this year's event (it was originally eight but running back Reese Kizer opted to walk with the rest of the senior class at the Douglas graduation ceremony the same night), playing for the Blue squad, set the tone starting early in the week.

With the largest contingent out of any school in Northern Nevada, Douglas ended up making up approximately 21 percent of the Blue roster. They certainly made an impression.

Douglas head coach Mike Rippee stood solitary toward the south end zone at Mackay Stadium during the first quarter Friday night when Sparks head coach Rob Kittrell, who was charged with coaching the Blue team last week, made his way away from the team in the middle of the action.

He spoke of what a great group of kids the Douglas players were and how hard they worked.

Rippee tried to shrug it off, but Kittrell insisted that such character comes from solid coaching.

The seven Douglas players made themselves part of nearly every play Friday night, starting from the coin-toss on.

Linebacker Brent Koontz was elected one of the team's captains, and Ryan Pruitt, another linebacker, was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, shouldering the kicking duties for the Silver squad.

"He's never tried anything like that in practice before," Rippee said. "He's a competitor though. They must have needed somebody."

Pruitt converted two extra point attempts, booted the ball to about the 20 yard-line on the game's opening kick-off and even attempted a 35-yard field goal which had all the distance but just didn't quite have the height.

Just for good measure, Pruitt also finished with three tackles.

It couldn't go without notice that on any given play, up to five players of the 11-man defensive unit were from Douglas.

"It looks like the Douglas defense out there," Rippee joked.

Koontz and defensive tackle Sean Molina each had four tackles, Phil Mannelly had a sack and Cole Hamzik had a pretty impressive pass breakup.

Koontz and Molina each hurried the Silver signal callers on numerous occasions with the biggest statement being made by Koontz when he leveled Dayton's Travis Wood on the second play from scrimmage.

They anchored a unit that held some of the region's absolute best rushers to just 21 yards on 24 total carries.

Hamzik also handled all of the team's punting duties, kicking four times for an average of 29.75 yards each.

On the offensive side of the ball, Keith Lowe, who played tackle at Douglas, shifted over to guard. He and fellow Tiger Kevin Rogers winged center Tom McGowan from Wooster on every offensive snap.

"I kept all those guys in weight training just for this purpose," Rippee said. "I kept telling them that you want to be in shape when the all-star game comes around, because there's nothing worse than getting to your last football game probably of your career and not being able to do what you know you should be able to do."

The Blue squad ran almost exclusively up the middle on traps and dives behind the center trio, getting 63 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries.

Rogers and Lowe were seen coaching their fellow linemen up on the sideline on how to best block the opposition.

All seven Tigers bucked the tradition of plastering their helmets with decals from their teammate's schools, opting instead for the strictly Douglas black hat look.

Compare that with several of their all-star teammates who had no signifying mark at all from their own school.

There was no doubt, when the Douglas seven took the field, where they were from or who they were representing.

The Blue squad also exhibited some trademark Douglas discipline, committing four penalties for 40 yards compared to the Silver squad, which was penalized 12 times for 85 yards.

Not a single Douglas player was called for a penalty Friday night.

In the end, the Silver squad prevailed 17-14, but Douglas certainly made its mark on the game.

It was good to see that Kayla Dunn, one of the Northern 4A's best pure power hitters during her time at Douglas, caught on with Utah State.

She has been at Feather River the last two seasons.

She will play pitcher and corner infield for the Aggies.

This sets up an interesting in conference matchup next season when Utah State meets Nevada. Dunn may end up pitching to her former high school teammate, Brittany Puzey, who had an all-conference season for the Wolf Pack this year.

I contacted former R-C Sports Editor Dave Price, now at the Nevada Appeal, last week to see if he'd be interested in coming to an interview with longtime Douglas High sports announcer Ken Carr.

Dave jumped at the chance.

"If ever there were a guy that supported a team through thick and thin, Ken is it," he said.

For nearly an hour, the two reminisced about the last 30 some-odd years in Douglas high athletics. It was certainly an education in some of the rich history that comes with the Tiger athletic program.

Ken welcomed us in the middle of entering his classes' final grades and took time to describe the details of his career, both teaching and athletic, for us.

While a number of suitable names have been mentioned as a replacement in the announcer's booth, it is certain that Ken will be missed.

What do Disney, sailing and the Carson Valley have in common?

Tough one, isn't it?

In one of what I'm beginning to call "Only in Gardnerville" moments, a film crew and a tour bus full of soon-to-be movie stars, along with Roy Disney himself, visited our Valley over the weekend.

I'll have the full story in Friday's paper.

Hey, it's the summer. It's tough to dig up high school news when school's not even in session.

That being said, here's a bit of baseball lore that may astound or confuse.

It was 87 years ago this month Cincinatti Reds center fielder Edd Roush became the first, and only, player ever ejected for falling asleep in the outfield.

Apparently, an argument between Reds manager Pat Moran and the umpires developed over a call at the plate as the Reds were playing at the Polo Grounds in New York.

The argument drew on and on and Roush became bored.

He got down on the ground, used his glove for a pillow and fell asleep.

Once play was ready to resume, his teammates' efforts to awaken him weren't

immediately successful.

Citing delay of game, Roush was tossed.

Gives new meaning to the term "sleeper," doesn't it?

Roush was later elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 after a career in which he batted .323 with 981 RBis and 1,099 runs scored. He was the National League batting champion in 1917 and 1919 and played for the Reds on the other side of the infamous Chicago Black Sox World Series scandal.