R-C Sports Notebook: Rising Pollack

I'm going to say this once, to anyone who might be interested.

There are only three more chances to see Douglas senior running back Johnny Pollack in Minden.

That's Sept. 18 against Fallon, Oct. 9 against Wooster and Oct. 16 against Manogue.

I only bring it up because while Douglas has had a long, long list of incredible running backs come through its football program, very few, if any, had such an inate ability to simply create yardage where there was none to be had.

For those of you who've seen it, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I heard about him for two years at the lower levels from coaches within the program, opposing coaches and referees before I ever actually got to see him play. Even then, he surpassed expectations.

At 6-0, 176 pounds, he looks like a solid high school football player, but not one that can simply overpower you (and the other 10 of your teammates on the field for that matter). But he does.

Some running backs can cut behind a block with ease. Pollack blasts his way through the hole like a ton of bricks.

Some running backs use the stiff-arm to fend off would-be tacklers. Pollack uses it like a nuclear weapon.

Once a gang of tacklers get their hands on him, that's when the fun actually starts. He'll push, pull, drag, stumble, jerk and fling his way through the pile, often shaking off at least one or two guys and leaving more in his wake.

We have quite a number of pictures of Pollack on file at The R-C and an overwhelming majority of them are of him charging forward with at least one defender attempting to hang on. It's almost comical.

Ask Pollack about it, and he just shrugs it off.

"It's just the way it's always been, I guess," he said after Friday's 20-6 win over Reno. "I can't let my team down. That's always going through my head when I'm out there. I can't let them down. If there are any extra yards there, I have to get them."

And get them he does. I don't keep stats on broken tackles, or yards after contact. I'm not sure the Douglas coaching staff does either. But if there were school records for both categories, he'd be there, right smack at the top.

It may sound like an exaggeration, but it truly is uncanny - the amount of punishment a single running back can dole out against an opposing defense.

It helps, maybe, that he's also Douglas' starting middle linebacker - so you know he knows how to hit. Coach Mike Rippee has called him one of the strongest players - pound-for-pound - on the team, and yet he also ranks as one of the fastest.

Whatever way you look at it, it's worth getting out to see him play at least once before the year is up. There are plenty of great players on this year's roster, but I can guarantee Pollack will turn your head at least once.

Just a reminder, a number of regular notebook elements have been moved to our "From the Bleachers" blog elsewhere on the Web site. You can get there by going to www.recordcourier.com/bleachers.

My schedule for the elements on the move:

Mondays: Four Surprises and One Not-So-Much (just to kind of round up the weekend's activities)

Tuesdays: Sierra Nevada Sports Media Rankings (This year I'm going to start revealing my ballot as well, along with the Sierra Index Ratings computer formula)

Wednesdays: Ranking the Gamers

Thursdays: My Player of the Year Ballot this week

Friday: Weekend picks (my predictions for the weekend's games)

Plus, keep an eye out for other items posted to the blog. The rest of the regular notebook will remain as is.

- The Douglas football, girls' soccer and boys' soccer teams are all sporting new uniforms this season.

- The Douglas volleyball team's loss to Reno Thursday was the first time the Tigers have been swept at home in at least the last nine years (since high school volleyball switched to the rally scoring system).

- All but one of Nikolai Vasquez's kickoffs sailed out of the end zone for Douglas on Friday night.

- The Reno football team was about three minutes late getting back to the field after halftime Friday night, drawing a delay-of-game penalty. It was one of nine flags thrown against the Huskies on the night.

- Incidentally, hall of fame inductee Brady Ovard was also about three minutes late getting to the induction ceremony at halftime. He had to drive in from Dayton, where he was coaching a junior varsity football game.

- Douglas running back Jordan Cruz is pretty darn tough. That's really all I have to say about that.

The volleyball team's loss to Reno on Thursday was its first at home since October of 2007. Who was the team that beat them? Bonus, how many sets did the match go?

- "Not everybody is the perfect person in the world. Everyone does - kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me. I just feel that people need to give him a chance." Ohio State quarterback Terelle Pryor explaining why he wrote Michael Vick's name on his eye-black during his season-opening game against Navy.

- Elmo, The Count and Grover on screen at the same time. This is my nightmare.

With pro football season quickly approaching, it's time again to try to drum up interest in our weekly Pro Football Pick 'Em contest. It's your basic straight up pick game with a tie-breaker.

There's an added "regular season survivor" game where you pick the one team you are sure will win that week every week, and continue to do so every week until your team of the week loses. You can only choose each team once during the year.

Sign-up is free and you will be competing for local and national prizes.

Visit recordcourier.profootball.upickem.net to sign up and make your picks.

Here's mine for week one:

Steelers over Titans

Falcons over Dolphins

Ravens over Chiefs

Panthers over Eagles

Bengals over Broncos

Vikings over Browns

Jets over Texans

Colts over Jaguars

Saints over Lions

Cowboys over Buccaneers

49ers over Cardinals

Giants over Redskins

Seahawks over Rams

Patriots over Bills

Chargers over Raiders

Tiebreaker: Packers 24, Bears 17

Regular Season Survivor: Steelers

Last week: - Season: 0-0. Season Survivor: Still alive.

Celebrating Edd Roush, the only player ever ejected from a Major League Baseball game for sleeping in the outfield.

- The Chicago Tribune reported this week that a baseball game organized to help young men avoid violence ended abruptly when a 19-year-old player who'd been pulled from the game shot his 44-year-old coach multiple times with a semi-automatic handgun.

The coach's condition had been upgraded to "fair" by Sunday evening.

The game was part of the National Adult Baseball Association's Chicago Community League, a league for young adults to keep them out of trouble.

- Jason David Frank, who some people (not me) might know as the one-time Green Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is going to attempt a career in Mixed Martial Arts. Not sure if he knows he won't be allowed to wear the super suit in the ring.

Reno won in four set in Minden on Oct. 2, 2007. Douglas beat the Huskies in five in Reno during the last match of the regular season to claim the league title, but Reno came back and beat Douglas in five in the regional championship match at Galena the next week.