Captain Kangaroo

In place of NC State or Penn State, I'd assume? NCST, PSU and the Huskers would be one hell of an uphill climb for such a young Zips squad. Sounds like that LSU, Nebraska, I-forget-the-other-team death march the Zips endured in the late 90's.

My all-time favorite Zips road trip opponent! I would LOVE to go back to Lincoln!

Will we ever get any kids from Massilon now that former Zips coach Tom Stacey is at the helm? Then again...we had former Massilon head coach Lee Owens for 9 years and only had 1 or two Massilon kids ever see the Rubber Bowl field. TE, OL for Duke Tight end Brett Huffman of Washington High in Massillon, Ohio, has committed to Duke. Huffman is 6-4 and 225 pounds and caught 24 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns last season. Washington coach Tom Stacy said Huffman also considered Akron and Toledo. Syracuse offered a scholarship after learning of the Duke commitment, Stacy said.

Just a heads-up: I was informed this event was changed to August 4th (from the 8th).

Wes Jordan - Zips Walk-on - Click Me Click for another game summary

Center Josh Kiner is the only Zip participating. Regardless, it is always a fun game to watch.

I saw in the PD that Tarver was 1-4 from the field in the summer league. Four shots...hmmm....I would assume he played...oh...maybe 38 seconds? With the Zips he shot four by the time the national anthem was at "...by the dawn's early light!"

2006 9/2 @ Penn State 9/9 @ North Carolina State Tough road trip call. Penn State is a blast the night before a game...and we'll be in much better shape to compete with them, and their new coach, in 2006 than we were in 1999 or 2004. NC State is allegedly a great time, and early September should be great weather too. Such decisions....

I read this and I harkened back to the old Katheryn Place and May Day parties. These were turned into "riots" by the media, with all sorts of reports of student violence. Since attended these things "back in the day" with some frequency...as did thousands of other students...I can say the following ALWAYS happend: Party is cool until later in the evening...band of young, non U of A student kids walks through the crowd and begins causing trouble. Fights begin. Once word of the party spread amongst the non-student, thug crowd, the problems worsened. See below: ************************************************************************ Youth arrests mar Akron celebration Firecracker thrown into police group, injuring 3 By Marilyn Miller Beacon Journal staff writer Akron police said although this year's annual Akron Family Barbeque downtown was successful and without incident, several rowdy youths outside the festival gates were arrested for fighting and throwing firecrackers. Police arrested about 15 youths for disorderly behavior and fireworks violations Monday. An M100 firecracker was thrown in the middle of several police on bicycles, causing minor injuries to three officers. Capt. Daniel Zampelli said a crowd of 100 to 200 youths were gathered near the north end of the festival at East Mill and Main streets after being dispersed from the south end. He said every year teens end up fighting, but this year was worse because of the large number involved. ``Every year a bunch of thugs come down to create problems,'' Zampelli said. ``They were just a group of teens who either couldn't get into the festival or didn't want to get in and just hung around the periphery causing trouble. They weren't there to watch the fireworks.'' He said the trouble was contained outside the festival. Inside, only one person was arrested for intoxication during the four-day event. ``We did more dispersing of the crowd than anything else,'' he said. ``We had to use pepper spray... '' Zampelli said the fights, involving boys and girls, broke out after the fireworks. The officers injured by the firecracker were treated by paramedics at the scene. One officer was cut on the hand and two others experienced some temporary hearing loss. Zampelli said it is illegal for individuals to detonate fireworks in the state of Ohio and one can only be in possession of them if they are being transported out of the state. Staffing more officers outside the festival is something the department is looking into for next year. Zampelli said staffing the festival leaves only a skeleton staff for the periphery. He said 15 or more officers staff the festival and that number can reach 50 to 60 during peak times. On July 4, there were 20 to 25 officers who worked the Innerbelt, outside the main gates of the festival and Cascade Plaza. Akron police and city officials met Tuesday to plan a new strategy for handling rowdy youths next year. Zampelli said the event will be handled similarly to May Day's zero tolerance policy. During the 1990s in the University of Akron area, setting fires, throwing bottles, drinking and loud music became a tradition in celebrating the end of the school year. Police began cracking down on the disturbances in 2000 after the incidents became more serious. ``If you are fighting or taunting, you will not get a summons,'' Zampelli said. ``You are going to jail.''

If he couldn't beat out Ferguson for the #2 spot this year...he'll struggle to make Cinci's roster. I see him playing intramurals unless he transfers to D2 or D3.

If Robinson and Hight live up to their potential...holy hell will we have a defensive line! Thanks for the confirmation, HighZip. BTW: Did you ever meet "Highfl@sh?" He a FA WR with the Browns now.

Jazz eyeing Green; Loyer to join staff July 5, 2005 Green and John Loyer already are feeling a domino effect in their respective professions in the NBA. Green, the 76ers' restricted free-agent guard, has drawn interest from the, which is seeking a replacement for, the former Sixer who has an agreement in principle to join the Noah Croom, Green's agent, confirmed that he has fielded a phone call from Jazz senior vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor and said they could have another conversation as soon as today to gauge the level of interest. Green was listed with a salary of $620,046 this season. Sixers president/general manager Billy King has said repeatedly that he fully intended to match any offers for Green, and. The Sixers can match offers for Green and Korver up to the average league salary, which is expected to be about $5 million. There are no limitations on their ability to match offers for Dalembert. King confirmed that Loyer, who spent the last five seasons with the organization, would be joining the Sixers as an assistant coach. New coach Maurice Cheeks already has brought along Bernie Smith from his Blazers staff, welcomed back former Sixers assistant John Kuester and has been awaiting a decision from former Sixers star Andrew Toney. That would indicate that when Jim O'Brien was fired as Sixers coach after the season, it was equally the end of his staff: Dick Harter, Lester Conner, Joe Gallagher and Frank Vogel. Loyer spent two seasons as an advance scout, one season as a video coordinator and two seasons as an assistant coach with the Blazers. He spent 12 seasons on the collegiate level at Wabash Valley (Mount Carmel, Ill.), Akron and Cincinnati.

Trip to MTSU in late September is too tempting to pass up. Hope the Purdue game is on local TV! Sorry the board is so slow...mid-July swoon, I guess.

Leftwitch.... Our B-I-T-C-H! F The Turds. In the skull.

I find it amazing that Youngstown can support 3...maybe 4 major local TV stations, even when Pittsburgh and Cleveland TV is readily accessible and Akron can't support one. Then again, if Akron ever got a "real" TV station, instead of a bush league piece of crap...maybe people would support it.

That wins the Adjective-of-the-Day award!

Again...I have no idea if Nate Robinson is the Rutgers transfer or not (I'm working on it)...but it would make sense that Nate is the guy. From a Big East football web site: ****************************************************************** RUTGERS sophomore defensive tackle NATE ROBINSON, who was one of the nation's top high school prospects just a few years ago, and transferred back home to New Jersey after originally signing with the University of Miami, was released from the program for violating un-specified team rules... there has been no formal reason or explanation for his release, but it was clear last fall that he was not nearly the player that was seen on tape during his high school days... he seemed overweight, under-conditioned and hardly ever dominated at the point of attack... still there is a lot of un-tapped potential here, but his work ethic and level of responsibility for his actions must come around before he will ever be able to take advantage of his vast potential. ******************************************************************** BTW: I'm sure there's a major at U of A that an 800SAT kid can be successful at? I think that's double what Katzenmoyer's SAT was entering OSU?

I think you're right about the Buchtel kid, but I don't think that's the Rutgers guy. From what I understand, the mystery Rutgers DL will have only 2-3 years of eligibility remaining. I looked around on the Rutgers site and a DL by the last name of Robinson had left the team. My guess is he's the one...but I don't know for certain.

Scott Uziel (TE) played a lot. I didn't see any passes thrown his way...his blocking was pretty rough, as was the entire East teams...but builing an OL for one of these games, with only a week's preparation, is impossible. My gut feeling: He has the body to be a solid TE, but he definitely needs to redshirt. Merce Poindexter played defense (DL). He's a big dude, height-wise. He looked pretty good. Wonder which side of the ball he'll be on @ Akron? With Cruz & Kasparek in the fold, the TE position is locked up for the next several years. Kevin Garner looked the best of the bunch. A very strong kid and a solid tackler. I found an article on him with some interesting tidbits (see below). Also, Can't's Eugene Jarvis looked very good. Can't fans are going to like him. Since the words describing Alex Allen @ the golf outing were "stallion" and "stud", and Kennedy's made great progress, losing Jarvis to Can't isn't a big deal. We're solid at RB. ********************************************************************** Titans' Garner will play as fooball all-star All-Star games are sometimes forgettable contests. After all, they are exhibition games played by makeshift teams. But Kevin Garner, a West Mifflin Area grad on his way to the University of Akron, is looking forward to Saturday's Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association East-West All-Star Game at Altoona's Mansion Park. "I'm real excited. Since I'm redshirted this year I won't otherwise get a chance to play," he said. Few doubt Garner's athletic ability. In addition to collecting 14 sacks from his left defensive end position last year to lead the Titans to the WPIAL Class AAA final, he also averaged 16.4 points a game as a power forward-center on the section-champion basketball team. He also ran the second leg on the 400-meter relay team that qualified for the PIAA Class AAA track finals, registering a low time of 42.5 seconds during the season. He has been timed at 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Garner is 6 feet 21/2 and 230 pounds and is ranked among the top 50 players in the state by Rivals.com. "I'm not the biggest player, but I can use my speed to get past the linemen," he said. "I was talking to one coach and he said I wasn't recruited heavily because of my size." Garner received the most attention from Mid-American Conference schools, although West Virginia and Indiana also offered him scholarships. He chose Akron because of its coaching staff and facilities. The Zips will play in a new stadium by the time he's an upperclassman. Garner was a four-year starter on the West Mifflin defensive line and by his junior season he was registering double-digit sack totals. "He was our defensive leader," said West Mifflin coach Ray Braszo. "He was very tenacious and always going full speed." In addition to his athletic ability, Garner credited his success to "my aggression; my hunger to get to the ball. I want every tackle I can get on the field." That desire displayed itself in a 20-7 WPIAL quarterfinal playoff win against Canon-McMillan, where he sacked quarterback Doug Rheam twice. The play that stands out came in the closing seconds of West Mifflin's 10-6 win at Peters Township Oct. 8. With the Indians deep in Titans territory in the closing seconds of the game, Garner broke through the offensive line and hit quarterback Tyler Porko as he released the ball. The football went straight up into the air and into Garner's hands for the clinching interception that evened West Mifflin's record at 4-4 and kept the Titans alive in the playoff hunt.

Cal Pa. is a good test for an exhibition. Jake Schifino's little brother finished up there last year. They're always a top team in that division. What happened to Xavier? Overall, I give the schedule a B-. Certainly an improvement over last year. FINALLY some games against marquee teams. But, the home non-conf schedule blows goats.

Quick notes: Balaam may/may not be a Zip. Iowa out-of-state tuition is $22,000, and Balaam probably doesn't have that much cash lying around...unless some Iowa booster "helps" him out. Odds of him being a Zip are better than 50/50...but not yet near 100%. A Pitt recruit from this year's class didn't make grades, so Pitt dropped their offer. He'll prop 48 at Akron this year an be eligible next year. A big DL, but I didn't get a name. A DL has transferred from Rutgers. He'll sit this year and be eligible in 2006. Again, no name. Getsey #1, Jabari at WR. Done deal. Ferg. #2 QB. Two Fr. QB's will hopefully redshirt. Height will prop 48. Tuzze expected to be the starting FB, but most of this year's class is expected to redshirt. Alex Allen looks great, per the RB coach. Kennedy looks good too, and will likely get carries on every 3rd series. (Biggs gets the first two). Expect the Zips to be "ok" this year, good next year, and champs in 2007. OL's were described as "more physical" than last year's group, but short on experience (obviously). Lots of work has been done over the spring to get them as game-ready as possible. Coaching staff could not be any more esctatic about this year's recruiting class.

Tygers' Avery headed to prep school By Larry Phillips News JournalMANSFIELD -- Colleges will have to wait a year to acquire the talents of Mansfield Senior basketball standout Jonathon Avery. The 6-foot-5 third-team All-Ohioan is headed to Harmony Community Prep School in Cincinnati. Av- ery hopes to raise his college entrance test scores while honing his basketball skills. "It's like a family-type environment and not a military-type school," Avery said. "I don't think I'll get homesick there, either." Avery averaged 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds as Mansfield Senior won the Ohio Cardinal Conference and reached the Division I Final Four. The willowy leaper with fine timing was the OCC and District 6 Player of the Year. "I think (prep school) is great for him," Mansfield Senior coach Gregg Collins said. "He'll have a chance to mature physically and advance with his academics. "He's got a number of MAC schools keeping their eye on him." The Tygers ripped off a 24-game winning streak while compiling a 24-2 record this season. Avery shot 70 percent from the floor and was the hub of that charge. His presence in the lane at both ends of the floor carried Mansfield Senior into the state tournament. Senior High was finally stopped by eventual state champion Canton McKinley. Avery made the all-tournament team. He completed his career with 984 points, 676 rebounds and 144 blocked shots. Avery hopes to carry that momentum through Harmony and into college. "I graduated from high school and I'll graduate from prep school. I'm just trying to improve my test score," Avery said. "This gives me the opportunity to get better." Among the colleges expressing an interest in Avery are Bowling Green, Akron, Toledo, Morehead State and Stephen F. Austin. "I don't have a favorite," Avery said.

My softball team and my son's tee-ball team are undefeated this year. I think I may apply. Please: No one tell Mike Rodriguez that ALL tee-ball teams are "undefeated." I hope the Zips schedule is full of church league teams. We kill'em!

I wonder if the format change of 1350 will affect the Zips broadcasting? I would think the Zips got some nice exposure due to 1350's all-sports format? I haven't listed to 1350am in over a month....I used to listen to it all the time. I wonder how many cartwheels Mike Thomas did when learning that Hipsher took the job @ Arkansas? That moved saved the Zips about 300K in salary, I think? Enough to get that new fund-raising assistant AD hired within the budget, I bet. Non-conf hoops schedule soon to be released? Louisville, Xavier and the San Juan shootout are a welcome change from Sisters of the Poor. Woods rehab progressing well...or poorly? As seen by his freshman "caboose," he has the potential to put on weight if not motivated. I hope he's been dedicated to a strong comeback. How much weight has Quade put on? Hope a solid 25 lbs. Which frosh are already on campus working out? I hope the OL's are. Is Balaam in or out? I've heard a million different things regarding his status. Diontre Earl's vacant spot seems to be well-suited for him...IF he remains in the fold. How is Jabari progressing at WR? Who will be the #2 QB? Who will be the first Zips football commit for 2006? Last year it was Tuzze, some time in July?

PG West: Freedom graduate Kaufman 'zips' to seventh in NCAA javelin Thursday, June 16, 2005 By Rich Emert, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Timing is everything in track and field, even when the event isn't decided by a stop watch. Ashley Kaufman, Freedom Area High School graduate and University of Akron junior, is the first to admit there are probably 20 better female javelin throwers at NCAA Division I colleges than herself. But most of them didn't make it to the finals of the NCAA championships, and only six finished ahead of Kaufman. "You look at my ranking and I'm around 20th in the nation," she said. "There is something to be said for peaking at the right time." She knows all about that from her high school days. Kaufman won the WPIAL Class AA championship in the javelin in 2002, but was second at the PIAA meet. In 2001, she was second in the WPIAL and fourth in the PIAA. Kaufman set the Akron record in the javelin with a personal-best throw of 159 feet, 3 inches in the qualifying round at the NCAA championships last week in Sacramento, Calif. She then had a throw of 155-8 in the championship round, which was good enough for seventh place. That earned Kaufman All-American honors. Dana Pounds of Air Force won the event with a toss of 185-4. "The way they work it is that the top 12 from the qualifying round make it to the final, but none of the marks carry over. They wipe the slate clean and you get six more throws," Kaufman said. "I don't think anybody threw as well in the finals as they did in qualifying." The qualifying was held last Wednesday with the finals Friday. By this time of the track season, most javelin throwers are battered, which explains the dropoff in distance. "We're all used to throwing just once a week at this point, so it's tough to compete one day and then come back a day later and go again. Everybody has back braces, knee braces, elbow braces or something." Kaufman wears a back brace when she throws. Her back was injured when she was a freshman working out with a medicine ball. The injury hindered her training. While the back pain is still there, Kaufman has learned to deal with it when she throws. Her journey to the NCAA championships was an interesting one. To earn the trip, she had to compete in the Mideast regional qualifier in Bloomington, Ind. The top-five finishers there moved on to Sacramento. After her last throw at the Mideast Regional, Kaufman thought she had missed out. "I didn't think I had made it [for the championships] until an official came up and told me I did," she said. "What happened was I was in sixth place going into the final there and I threw better than the girl ahead of me in fifth, and then she threw better than I did. "We were both locked into beating each other for that fifth spot that we didn't realize that we both passed the girl who had been in fourth place." Before the NCAA meet, Kaufman sat down with her coaches at Akron and studied video of her throwing technique. They even looked at some video of when Kaufman was competing for Freedom. Some minor flaws were discovered in Kaufman's form and adjustments were made. "The javelin is such a technical event that a minor thing here or there can add distance," she said. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised that I got seventh place. My coaches did a great job of getting me to peak at just the right time." One of Kaufman's goals this season was to break the Akron record of 158-3. With that and the All-American honor tucked away, she looks forward to bigger and better things next year. She plans to stay at Akron this summer and continue to train. There is a USA meet in two weeks in Los Angeles that Akron coaches are trying to get Kaufman to attend. The B standard for the competition is 157 feet. The A standard, or automatic qualifying distance, is 164 feet. "They have a field of 25, and if you've thrown the B standard, that just means you are on a waiting list," Kaufman said. "I want compete there because most of the top throwers in the country, people who have graduated from college but have continued to train for the Olympics, will be there. The competition should be great." This was Kaufman's first time at the NCAA championships and she soaked in as much of the atmosphere as possible. When she wasn't competing, she was at the stadium cheering for Akron teammates. "Just being there was a great experience," she said. "There are just so many talented athletes. The whole thing was awesome." Kaufman received a plaque for achieving All-American honors. She had it in her carry-on bag on the flight home and, unfortunately, it was broken in transit. "But that was OK," Kaufman said. "I'll just go out and earn another one next year."