R-C Sports Notebook: Ready to roll

It's already been 81 days since the final out was recorded on the Douglas baseball team's dream season - 80 days since the state track & and field and swimming & diving championship meets were contested.

And in two more days we launch right back into another school year, with fresh expectations for the fall sports season.

In Wednesday's paper I offer up an overview of what to look for in Douglas High in the coming sports season. We'll follow that with detailed season previews for each sport at the school in the coming weeks as well.

But in this week's column, I just wanted to point out a couple things to keep an eye on regionally as we roll into fall.

This is one I can't say I've seen before: Hug head coach Rollins Stallworth has a date already circled with extra marks on the calendar this season: Oct. 16 at McQueen.

Sure, it's that always-anticipated matchup with the powerhouse Lancers, but there's some added intrigue this year.

Stallworth's son, Rollie, will be on the opposite sideline in a Lancer uniform.

"It's one of those things that you want to put off and think about as a long time in the future," the Stallworth said. "We always knew this would happen, but it's already here.

"We haven't talked about it much, but when the times comes you hope it'll be a situation where we both approach the game like every other game. The reality is, though, it won't be."

In talking with a number of the Northern 4A football coaches over the past few months, no one was willing to stand behind a clear-cut favorite.

Since they weren't willing to do it, I'll go for it.

Reed looks really, really, really good on paper. You look at what they have coming in, and it looks eerily similar to the roster they had when they won the regional title in 2004.

The skill returners are there (quarterback Tyler Pine, running back Christian Thompson and wide receiver Aaron Greenblat) and the bulk up front is there with Kyle Roberts and Garrett Corbett (name one other team in the state that can boast bookend 6-6, 275-pound tackles).

Let's also not forget that year-in and year-out, Reed runs one of the most potent offensive attacks in the region, if not the state.

My say is that if the Raiders can pony up any sort of a defense, they should be the odds-on favorite to win the region. No defense, it'll be anybody's ballgame.

I've also heard any number of sleeper teams heading into the year - which is often the case when coaches mark it a wide-open year.

Galena is said to be much-improved, Carson looks to have a solid group back. Personally, I think Reno and Spanish Springs will surprise some people.

The biggest out of all of them, though, might be Damonte Ranch. The Mustangs have been building a solid program at a young school, but last year's playoff upset win over Hug can't go unnoticed.

Every year, Damonte has been surprisingly good on defense, which is essentially what won them that game against Hug (and, for that matter, what kept the game close against Douglas last year).

Coach Tony Amantia develops solid game plans and this may be the year where the personnel and depth matches up with the coaching.

Many are saying Douglas and Manogue are the clear favorites to battle it out for the league title - a statement, by the way, that I agree with. Damonte will be a very tough game for both parties though, and any slip ups by the two heavyweights could give the Mustangs their first league crown.

- "I don't really have a Twitter policy. I don't know what it means; I don't know what it is. I don't know MyFace, Spacebook, Facebook stuff. I don't know what that is either." - Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniel

- We watched "Dances with Wolves" (courtesy of the St. Gall rummage sale 50-cent movie bin) over the weekend. I'd forgotten how good it really is.

On a related note, we also watched Mission Impossible. Ehhh ...

- The Titan Peeler - Your kid can run it over with his bike and you can still use it to julienne your carrots for dinner. Just wash out all the rubber tire shards first ...

- Eyore has a really creepy singing voice. Seriously. It's like a combination of a lawn mower engine and that kid from third grade who used to try to belch the alphabet all the time.

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

Colts running back Reggie Wayne showed up to training camp driving a dump truck and wearing contruction worker's gear.

He said it was "all about the road to the Super Bowl; construction."

A reporter asked where quarterback Peyton Manning fit into the metaphor, Wayne said (and I quote) "He's the janitor."

What?

- A 70-year-old Vermont man reported last week that a seven-foot tall bronze statue of former basketball star Dennis Rodman went missing last week while in transit from the charity auction where it had been purchased.

It was later discovered that the statue hadn't in fact been stolen ... nor was it actually of Dennis Rodman.