Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Aug. 25, 1994, edition 1 / Page 33
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THE B?16MflCK#BtoC0N Thursday. August 23. 1904 Inside this section: ? Crime Report, 7 ? T.V. Listing, Pages 8-9 Ready Or Nat, West Brunswick To Begin State Title Defense BY DOUG RUTTER Seven straight winning seasons. Three consecutive eastern North Carolina championships. Back-to back state titles. West Brunswick High School's football team, one of the most suc cessful in the state in recent years, will begin its quest for even more glory Friday night when it opens the 1994 season at South Brunswick. The Trojans probably won't look like a state championship team Friday as first-year head coach Yogi Hickman continues to install an I formation offense and look for the right combination of players on both sides of the ball. "We're still learning," Hickman said Tuesday. "We're going to have to be very basic for a while. We're not going to look anything Friday like we're going to look in another three weeks."* West Brunswick finished 5-1 fat the Waccamaw Conference last year ? sharing the league champi onship with Whiteville and ^fest Columbus ? and 12-3 overall. Twelve of the 14 returning play ers who were members of the Trojans' state 3A championship team last year are expected to start this season. Returning are Eric Johnson, Cory Hill, Derek Frink, Timothy Daniels, Dexter Bass, Brian Gore, iy Brown, James Morgan, Kwabena Green, Brian McDowell, Jonathan Faulk, Kelly Wooten, Marcus McCray and 1\arell Thomas. Key losses from last year's club include linemen Phillip Johnson, Steve Brooks, Charlie Peele and Wayne Branch and running backs Steve Holmes and Michael Lance and William Stanley. "We got hit pretty hard," Hick man said. On offense, Hickman inherited three players who started every game last year, but one of those is playing a different position. Defensively, five of the front seven are new. "What we have is a very inexperi enced football team. I'm not crying, but it's just a different football team," Hickman t?i*< "I don't want people to get down on these kids because they're work ing hard. We're going to be a good football team eventually," he said. "What we're concentrating on is im proving as a football team and it's going very slow." Hickman said speed and quick ness at the skill positions will be the - - ? - * * * ? ? greatest strength rof West Brunswick, which carries a six game winning streak into the season. And what does the new coach think about his Waccamaw Conference peers picking the Trojans to win the conference cham pionship? WEST BRUNSWICK FOOTBALL SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT Aug 26 at South Brunswick Sept 2 Dillon, S.C Sept 9 Wilmington Hoggard Sept 16 ...at Mullins, S.C (8:00) Sept 23 ? at South Columbus* Sept 30 M Pender* Oct. 7 Whitevillc* Oct 14 at East Columbus* Oct 21 West Columbus* Oct 28 at Lumberton Nov. 4 South Brunswick* ?Waccamaw Conference game ? Games start at 7 JO p.m. ?iw noted "Obviously they haven't been to practice," he said. "I think there's some unreasonable expectations. But people are going to take shofc at you when you're the defending champion.'* Hickman said West Brunswick's goal is to win the conference cham pionship. That would guarantee a berth in the state playoffe, and from there anything is possible. At this point Hickman says de fending the state 3A championship is the last thing on his mind. That's a goal for everybody playing football in the state. That's what you keep totally in the back ground until you make the playoffs," he said. West Brunswick is looking for its eighth consecutive winning season. The Trojans have a record of 66-21 since 1987, including a 36-8 mark over the last three years. The Starting Liaeap West's starting offense Friday night will include only three players who started every game iast year, and one of those has switched to a different Dc&ition. Senior Eric Johnson (6-1, 185) re turn* for his second season as the starting quarterback. An outstanding athlete and leader, Johnson will be called on to run and pasa. As a junior, Johnson passed for 753 yards and nine touchdowns and also rushed for 295 yards and two more scores. Timothy "Salt" Daniels (6-2, 200), who started at tight end last year, has been moved to tailback The other returning starter is senior guard Kelly Woolen (5-10, 175). Junior Kwabena Green (6-1, 245) saw considerable last on the offensive line and will occu py ooe of the tackle spots. Sophomore Brian "Bull" Nealy (6-1, 240) also will dart at tackle. Other offensive starters include senior James Morgan (5-11, 195) at ftillback, senior IV Brown (6-2, 180) at flanker, junior Derek Frink (6-6, 175) at split end, junior Jamal Stanley (6-0, 180) at tight end and WEST'S KWABENA G Wallace-Rose HUL The junior Brian McDowell (5-11, 190) at center. Jonathan Faulk (5-9, 210), a se nior who will start at offensive guard and defensive tackle this sea son, was injured in a car accident last weekend and may miss Friday night's opener. Sophomore Cliff Gore (6-1, 200) is expected to take his spot in the lineup if Faulk cannot play. West Brunswick's defense will be anchored once again this year by Green at middle linebacker. He is considered one of the top high school juniors in the state. Green led the Trojans in tackles last year with 132, including 46 solo stops. He also recovered five fum bles, had one interception and blocked three kicks in 1993. West's only returning defensive lineman is Faulk, who received the Rookie Of The Year Award after a fine season in 1993. He wai the sec ond-leading tackier on the line last year with 50 stops. Morgan, who made 45 tackles and had three interceptions last sea son, has moved from the secondary to linebacker. Even with Morgan's move to line backer, West's secondary remains strong with the return of Johnson and Daniels. An outstanding cover man at cor nerback, Daniels ^ the defensive backs last season with 68 tackles. He also had one interception, forced three fumbles and recovered two. Johnson, who made 41 tackles last season with two fumble recover ies, will occupy one of the safety spots. Other defensive starters include McDowell and Wooten at defensive end and Gore and senior Mark Everette (5-11, 185) at tackle. Junior Terrell Thomas (6-2, 200) will start at linebacker, and senior Brian Gore (5-9, 155) and sopho more Cory Hill (5-10, 160) will round out the secondary. Hickman gmdi tHr gave to be one of West Brunswick's strengths this year with Frink back Grissett Catching On With NCSU Wolfpack BY DOUG RUTTER After sitting out his first year at N.C State University and spending much of 1993 on the sidelines, Jimmy Grissett should start malting an impact this fall for the Wotfpnck football team. The former West Brunswick High School standout is compering for one of the starting wide receiver po sitions, according to NCSU wide re ceiver coach Jimmy Kisex. "He's doing great. Jimmy has just worked extremely hard in the off season to improve his speed and strength," Kiser said. "He's battling for a starting position right now." Three other players also are in the running for the Wolfpack's wide re ceiver spot opposite senior Eddie Goines, who is considered one of the lop pass-catchers in the Atlantic Coast Conference. NORTH CAROLINA STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT Sept 1 Bowling Green Sept 10.. tt Sept. 24 Western Carolina Oct. 1 ????????????????????a Georgia lbch Oct. 8 at Louisville Oct IS Wake Forest Oct. 29 .at North Carolina Nov. 5 ....at Maryland Nov. 12 Duke Nov. 19 .Florida State Nov. 2 5..~............?....at Virginia Grisaett who waa red-shifted in 1992, ? ? 6 -foot, 18ft-pound sopho more who wmto uy ha the best hands on the team. "He's got huge hands to start with," ICiser said. If you throw it to him he'll catch it He can really catch the football" Whether or not Griasett starts, he's sore to aee a lot of action this Call as a receiver and poaaMy as a pot returner. "He'll get plenty of playing time without a doubt." Kiaer said. "I play four or five people every game. He'll get in the rotation quite a bit" Kiaer said Griaaett's greatest im provement during his first two yean at N.C State has been his speed. When he reported to Raleigh in 1992, oouchea timed him at 4.6 sec onds in the 40-yard dash. Itoice this spring, Grissett was clocked at a blazing 4.38 aecoods. That's the biggest surprise of the strides he's made," Kiaer said "He's worked hard in die weight room to build himself up. He's a good bit heavier and a lot stronger." Most of Griseett's playing time last season was on special team. "Last year he juat got a little taste of iL He's ready to go now. We're looking for three years of a lot of contributions from him," Kiser said. Grissett should be counted on even more heavily hia junior and se nior years following the departure of Ootnea, an Ail-ACC selection laat year who ia on track to rewrite many Wolfpack receiving records this sea son. Aa a West Brunswick senior, Grisaett helped lead the Trojans to a 13-2 record and the Eastern North Carolina 2A Championahip. He caught 34 paaaes for 745 yards and seven touchdowns and also had eight intcrceptiona in 1991. The Wolf^nck waa 7-5 overall in 1993, ending the seaaon with a 42-7 k?a to Michigan in the Hall Of Fame Bowl. NCSU finished fifth in the ACC with a 44 record under first-year head coach Mike O'Cain. N.C. State will open the 1994 campaign on a Thursday night, Sept 1, against visiting Bowling Green. The WoUpnck also has non-confer ence games at Louisville and home against Western Carolina. State has ACC home games this year against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Duke and Florida State and will play Oemaon, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia on the road. as the Trojans' punter and place kicker. Frink converted 42 of 54 extra point attempts (78 percent) last year, including 16 of 18 in the playoffs. The Coaching Staff Before coming to West Bruns wick, Hickman was the head foot ball coach at St. Pauls from 1988 to 1993. In six years, he guided the Bulldogs to six conference champi onships and an overall record of 64 10-1. Hickmar is a Whiteville native and was an assistant coach at Whiteville High School for three years, serving as offensive coordina tor when the Wo If pack won the state 2A championship in 1987. The strong staff of assistant coaches includes veterans Mike Al deison (defensive coordinator) and Joe Noble and newcomers Heath Hewett (offensive coordinator), Frank Ciamillo, Eramett Lay and Chip Leavitt W6ST BRUNSWICK RO r <T\^0 From the concept to the finish, wth pride and quaity workmanship. Termts Courts Stone Base Driveways Gradng Streets Storm Drainage I Go# Cart Paths Curb & Gutter Parking Lots Site Gearing Contractor's UcarM<M3l9 ? CAU US FOB A FREE CTMAH (919)754-7177 ? i i I I? Smhn ff fitness Club The Best Equipment Is Only Part Of the Fitness Equation fitness test Our Trained Instructors Complete It. Marf< S'des' Certified Personal Trainer, Offers ?Body composition Special Programs & One On One and more. ?Comprehensive 101 Hwy. 17 South. Littk- River, SC (80 j)j99-2644 or (80 J ) 280- 18S0
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Aug. 25, 1994, edition 1
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