By Andy Amey
TERRE HAUTE — Getting up early every morning for a week to drive for an hour to stand in the blazing sun for a couple more hours before driving back home? What could be better, Steve Weber indicated this week.
“I’ve got the summer off, but I still get to coach football — and all-stars to boot,” said the Linton High School coach. “I learn a lot from these other coaches — and the other players too.”
Weber will direct the South team for the second consecutive year in today’s 7 p.m. Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star Game at Terre Haute South. If he’s not careful, he’ll get the job permanently.
South achieved its first win over North in the five-year series last summer, recovering from a 14-0 halftime deficit to take a 10-point lead, then coming from behind again for a 32-27 victory in arguably the most exciting game in the annual event so far.
Tonight’s game promises to be the hottest of the five — maybe the work going on at Memorial Stadium will turn out to be a blessing, since South’s grass might prove a little cooler than field turf — but if history is an indicator, the players’ enthusiasm won’t be sapped by the heat.
Weber can also renew a coaching rivalry with Herb King of Rockville; the Miners and Rox have battled for Class A regional championships the past two seasons, each winning once.
Today could have been a second straight all-star coaching job for King too; he was the coach of the year among the northern schools in the WVFCA in 2007, but passed on the all-star duties in exchange for having the chance to coach his son Matt in tonight’s contest.
Matt King is an example of the differences between the two squads today. Although he passed for almost 8,000 yards as a four-year starter at quarterback for the Rox, helping Rockville reach the Class A state championship game in 2007, he’s expected to see time at wide receiver tonight too.
That’s because the North team also includes quarterbacks Mitch Snyder, whose passing was a key to three Illinois Class 2A playoff runs for Casey, and Landon Keith, who led West Vigo to a successful 2008 season.
“We’ll use all three quarterbacks,” Herb King promised. He also promised there would be no trickery involved during the times Matt King was lined up elsewhere — although he was smiling widely as he said it.
Trickery might be too strong a word for what North defenders will have to face. But although South’s only quarterbacks are Keith Cunningham of Linton and B.J. Howard of Union — “We’re really hoping they stay healthy,” Weber noted this week — the fact that Weber has his own signal caller to work with, not to mention his fullback Mickey Tosti, could mean the offensive misdirection the Miners have been famous for will be on display tonight.
Both coaches indicated this week they were pleased with the selection of players they have.
“I think we’ve molded together to be a pretty decent group,” Herb King said. “Our defense is a lot better than we thought it would be … and we have good receivers, a couple of good running backs — things that would make any part of Indiana proud.”
“We don’t seem to be as fast as we were last year, but we’ve got talent,” Weber said. “We have good linemen, and the quarterbacks are picking up things well.”
Weber also feels his defense is strong, with a lot of competition for playing time.
“I think our defensive backs are very aggressive and quick, and the defensive line has some quick kids,” he noted. “Everybody is pretty even.”
Asked if the week of practice had yielded any eye-openers or pleasant surprises, Herb King mentioned North Putnam lineman Seth Vondesaar — “He’s been dominant up front,” the coach said — and Terre Haute North receiver Frank Willis.
“All of the kids will represent their schools and their communities very well,” he added. “And the several [football] scholarship kids we have are playing like scholarship kids.”
Weber took the opposite approach when asked the same question.
“We knew they all could do some things,” he said, “so there have been no surprises — and that’s a good thing.”
At least five players in tonight’s game will earn some scholarship aid thanks to their work this week — the Hall of Fame scholarships, one from each team selected by the vote of their teammates; the Pete Varda scholarships, one from each team selected by the coaching staffs; and the Brett Eitel Memorial scholarship presented to a top scholar-athlete among the all-stars.
