NCAA Football
Dragons not overlooking Independence
Sep 04, 04:29 AM
By Brad Hallier, The Hutchinson News, Kan.
Sept. 04--Hutchinson Community College football coach Rion Rhoades has seen enough strange things in the Jayhawk Conference through the years to know that no game is a given.
He remembers going to Highland two years ago, fresh off a 33-14 pasting of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, and getting drubbed 23-10. That was Highland's only win of the year.
Last year, the Blue Dragons traveled to Independence to play a team that had scored 25 points in its previous four games. Hutchinson led 23-0 early in the fourth quarter before sweating out a 30-20 win as Independence's offense suddenly looked unstoppable.
On the surface, it looks like the 11th-ranked Blue Dragons shouldn't have any problems with today's 7 p.m. game at Independence. The Blue Dragons (1-0) rolled by Kilgore, Texas 41-10, while Independence took a 51-16 beating at Trinity Valley, Texas.
Rhoades' take on the matchup, however, is quick and to the point.
"We're not good enough to overlook anybody," the fourth-year Blue Dragons coach said.
Probably not wise to overlook the Pirates (0-1), especially given quarterback Brodrick Waters is back. Last year, he was one of the best offensive player in the conference, either throwing or rushing for 10 of Independence's 19 offensive touchdowns last year.
In the fourth quarter against Hutch last year, Waters almost single-handedly led the Pirates to three fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 30-20 defeat. He had two passing touchdowns against Hutchinson, and a third would have been a passing touchdown had a receiver not fumbled at the 1-yard line, but the Pirates recovered the fumble.
"He's very dangerous," Rhoades said. "He's the guy who makes them tick. He's the heartbeat of the team, so we have to limit his impact on the game because he has a big-play capability running and throwing."
Hutchinson will try to counter Waters with a defense that held Kilgore to 179 yards of offense and one late, meaningless touchdown.
"He's a pretty quick player, but we have quick guys on defense, too," freshman defensive lineman Hank Schmedemann said. "We'll see how all that works out."
Independence, under first-year coach Steve Carson, had a nightmare start at Trinity Valley. The Pirates were down 41-0 before scoring a pair of second-half touchdowns, one of which was on an interception return.
"It got out of hand before it got started," Carson said. "Our punter shanked a punt that they turned into a field goal. Then we had a negative-yardage punt, and the next thing you know, we're down 17-0 in the first quarter. We never got started offensively."
Waters didn't complete any of his 12 pass attempts. All 196 yards Independence gained came on the ground. Trinity Valley carried the ball 40 times for 186 yards and had four rushing touchdowns.
Doesn't seem to make for an interesting matchup, does it? After all, few teams in the nation run the ball as well as Hutchinson does. Last week, sophomore Jamal Womble ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
But like Rhoades, the Blue Dragons don't want to hear about how easily they won last week or Independence's struggles.
"We've got to focus on every team, every week," sophomore offensive lineman Andrew Niblock said. "Everything is clicking pretty well right now, but we had good moments and bad moments last week. We need to clean everything up, like our blocking schemes and picking up blitzes."
Improvement in those areas, and fixing a kickoff-coverage team that Kilgore shredded, would be as impressive to Rhoades as a win would.
"What I believe in is that every week, it's not about what team we play," Rhoades said. "Yes, we have to study our opponent and what they'll do, but we want to improve on things we did poorly the last week. If we go down and play poorly, we will not be successful. We measure success on getting better each week."
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Fischer fuels Buhler to win over Rockets
Sep 04, 04:29 AM
By Pat Sangimino, The Hutchinson News, Kan.
Sept. 04--BUHLER -- Things might have been different for Rose Hill had two plays gone its way Friday night in a season-opening 34-10 loss to Buhler.
A kickoff returned for a touchdown by DeQua Mayes in the second quarter was called back by an illegal-block penalty. Later, a fumbled ball at the goal line was recovered by Adam Massey, thwarting another scoring chance by the Rockets.
The Crusaders made the most of it.
"They were big plays and we took advantage of them," said junior running back Tanner Fisher, who shook off some first-half nausea by expelling his demons -- yes, he threw up right after a 71-yard touchdown run -- and rushing for a game-high 253 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries.
If there were any doubts about finding a running game after Jorden Oden, they're gone now. In his first opening-night start, Fisher showed the ability to get stronger as the game went on. In the second half, he was the catalyst, constantly moving the chains with steady -- if not flashy -- gains.
"He did get stronger," said Buhler coach Steve Warner. "I think our offensive line wore (Rose Hill) down and he did a good job of running behind them."
Fisher said he was feeling ill in the first half. Nothing serious, he said. Probably opening-night jitters. But those came to a head after the Crusaders took the lead for good midway through the second half.
With Rose Hill leading, 10-7, by virtue of Mayes' 43-yard touchdown run, Fisher gave the Crusaders back the lead on the next play. He took a handoff to the right and rushed and was through a gaping hole. He was at the midfield stripe before anyone got near him and won a foot race over the last 30 yards to complete his 71-yard touchdown run.
"The blocking was amazing on that play," he said.
The Crusaders opened the second half with a scoring drive that was culminated by Fisher's 9-yard touchdown run that made it a 20-10 game.
Late in the third quarter, the Rockets' offense, which had clicked in the early going, found its stride again -- at least momentarily. Mayes, who ran for 167 yards, reeled off four straight first-down runs to put the ball inside the 15-yard line.
Quarterback Derek Decker then turned the corner on a run to the left. He was hit by Grant Habluetzel at the goal line and Massey jumped on it.
"I saw the ball pop out and I just jumped on it," Massey said. "There was still some doubt at that point, but we were playing well and we closed it out."
Perhaps that was the biggest difference in the contest. With each team starting a newcomer at quarterback, Buhler sophomore Chandler Shantz played the closest to error-free football.
While Decker had the big fumble and the interception that set up another score, Shantz ran for a score and accounted for 111 yards from scrimmage, including 73 on the ground.
Shantz's 15-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter gave the Crusaders a 7-3 lead.
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Trojans trounce bumbling Owls
Sep 04, 04:26 AM
By Kelley Smiddie, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
Sept. 04--Soddy-Daisy offensive coordinator Josh Roberts may coach football several more years, but he also may never have an easier time calling plays than he did Friday night.
Roberts called for an inside zone run about 20-something times in the Trojans' District 5-AAA high school game against Ooltewah. Or better explained, running back Cedrick Edwards carried the ball 28 times on the way to 232 yards and three touchdowns in Soddy-Daisy's 19-0 victory on the Owls' homecoming night.
The Trojans were on their game from the start, beginning with the opening kickoff. The ball was taken into a huddle around the 10-yard line, and Talon Harris emerged with it and took it to the Trojans' 33.
After an incomplete pass, Roberts called his pet play -- basically a handoff up the middle from shotgun formation -- for the first time.
Edwards gained 5 yards on that rush and went on to pick up 57 of Soddy-Daisy's 67 yards on its scoring march.
Edwards finished the first quarter with 108 rushing yards and by the half he was up to 167 on 18 carries. His touchdown runs covered 21, 5 and 7 yards.
"We didn't think our offensive line was going to be the strength of the team this year, but they're looking like they are," Soddy-Daisy coach Kevin Orr said. "Cedrick had some big holes to run through."
So dominant was the Trojans' first half, they had a 255-71 advantage in yards from scrimmage and a 15-5 edge in first downs.
"They punched us in the mouth in the first half," Ooltewah coach Shannon Williams said. "We came out flat. That's on us coaches."
The Owls turned things around somewhat in the second half. For instance they closed the gap on first downs, which ended up 19-15 in favor of Soddy-Daisy (2-1, 1-0).
However, Ooltewah's four possessions -- all ending up in the red zone -- ended with a lost fumble, two turnovers on downs and Cody Jones' interception in the end zone.
"I'm really proud of the way we came out in the second half," Williams said. "We pitched a shutout, and they never stopped us. We stopped ourselves."
Even though Owls running back Randall Freeman ran for 163 yards last week, Soddy-Daisy's defensive game plan was clearly to focus on containing quarterback Goose Manning. He ended up throwing for 159 yards, but 39 rushing yards was all he produced on 18 carries. The Trojans did that, and limited Freeman to 48 yards on 16 rushes.
"It was a total defensive effort. We knew we had to stop No. 5," Orr said of Manning. "We had to do a little Goose hunting. I'm glad he's a senior. I don't want to watch him running around anymore."
The last time the Trojans beat Ooltewah (2-1, 0-1) was in 2003. Orr's son, Gary, now a defensive assistant at Soddy-Daisy, quarterbacked a 37-12 victory.
The game was the first regular-season home loss for Ooltewah since losing 17-7 to Oak Ridge on Oct. 26, 2007.
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Physical Trion trips Ramblers
Sep 04, 04:26 AM
By Lindsey Young, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
Sept. 04--LAFAYETTE, Ga. -- After a sluggish opening-week loss, Trion football coach David Humphreys went Olivia Newton-John on his team during practice this week.
The veteran coach didn't don leather pants or break into song, but he did get his message across: Let's get physical.
The Bulldogs used a methodical ground game and suffocating defense Friday night to post an impressive 21-0 win at LaFayette. The visitors rushed for 224 yards and held the Ramblers to 96 total yards. Trion (1-1) ran 56 plays to 27 for LaFayette (1-1).
"That was our challenge to the kids this week, especially to our offensive line folks," Humphreys said of the veteran starting line of Nick Coker (out last week due to injury), Trevor Flanigan, Dwayne Daggett, Colt Moore and Justin Baker. "We had a lot of missed assingments last week. Those guys have played a lot of football, but I don't think they've played one that intense. We moved the line of scrimmage all night, and that was the key."
The dominance started early with an 11-play, 64-yard drive late in the first quarter -- including a 19-yard pass from Hayden Tucker to Hunter Ivester on fourth-and-12 at the LaFayette 24. Two plays later, Austin McGraw scored from the 2.
Trion went 67 yards in 14 plays on its next possession, with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Tucker to Tanner Heyer. Running back Cody Simpson had 20 of his game-high 116 rushing yards on the drive that ate up nearly nine minutes.
On a play befitting the night for the Ramblers, Jarrod Beamon returned the ensuing kickoff to the Trion 43 but was in the clear for a touchdown before he slipped and fell. The drive stalled after two penalties halted any momentum the team had.
The Bulldogs put the game out of reach on their only possession of the third quarter. Simpson's 46-yard run started the 92-yard drive, which ended when Tucker and his favorite target, Heyer, connected on a 27-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. The 6-foot-3 receiver outjumped two defenders.
"Tanner is a great weapon, and he made two great plays," Tucker said. "But our line led us all night. We wanted to go right at them until they stopped us. This is a great win, especially after last week."
Leading the Trion defense was linebacker Austin McGraw, who had seven tackles, two for loss. LaFayette linebacker Koran Dyer had 15 tackles.
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Cougars follow Maxey's lead
Sep 04, 04:18 AM
By Greg Swatek, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
Sept. 04--THURMONT -- There are certain qualities Catoctin's Kellam Maxey has always admired about the way his brother, Nick, plays football.
"He doesn't take crap from nobody," Kellam said. "He comes out here and hits hard. That's what I call a quarterback."
And as the Cougars opened defense of their Class 1A state championship Friday night with a 39-0 victory over visiting Liberty, Nick Maxey looked like a quarterback.
Making his first varsity start, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior directed touchdown drives on Catoctin's first four possessions, making timely throws and runs along the way.
"I was a little nervous at first," Nick Maxey said after completing 5 of 8 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for an additional 58.
"But after the first quarter, we started to settle down. We made little mistakes. We can work on them."
The Cougars won for the 15th consecutive time, but they also looked like a team playing its first game of the season.
Catoctin fumbled six times, including their first two plays of the game, and, remarkably, fell on every one of them.
"Usually when you fumble, you lose the daggone ball," coach Doug Williams said. "I would have liked to know what the game would have been like if Liberty recovered the fumbles. It might have been interesting."
The Cougars were helped by their defense, which allowed fewer than 100 yards, their special teams, which recovered a fumble, blocked a punt and produced a 52-yard kickoff return from Harlan Lawson to start the second half, and their knack for converting third-and-longs in the first half.
On their first scoring drive, they converted third-and-13 with an 18-yard run from Kellam Maxey.
Then, on a subsequent drive, they converted third-and-9 with a 41-yard pass from Nick Maxey to Evan Lambert, and third-and-7 with a 35-yard pass from Maxey to Devin Sanders for a touchdown.
"I don't know how we converted all the third downs," Williams said. "We threw one pass in the corner here and they had it covered like a blanket and (Sanders) just jumped up and grabbed it. Kellam had a big run. The kids made some good plays at the right opportunity. They responded well to adversity."
The Cougars' offensive attack was balanced.
Kellam Maxey rushed for 61 yards on 12 carries. He also caught three passes for 42 yards.
Austin Carter rushed for 64 yards on nine carries and tight end Sean Reaver caught two passes for 27 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown reception that capped the opening drive.
"There's a lot of pressure on us," Kellam Maxey said. "But this team has to make a statement for (itself). Last year is over with. We came out and played our game."
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Michels part of four touchdowns in Knights' rout
Sep 04, 04:18 AM
By Stan Goldberg, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
Sept. 04--MIDDLETOWN -- A year ago, Sam Michels stood on the Middletown sidelines with a broken collarbone as his team barely beat Century in the season opener for both teams.
On Friday night, the senior running back was on the field and made a difference for his team.
Michels rushed for three touchdowns, passed for another and set up a score with a 28-yard punt return as Middletown downed Century, 45-14.
Running behind a veteran offensive line that opened good holes for him, he had 162 yards rushing on 20 carries and added 47 yards passing.
"It was definitely better than I could have imagined," Michels said. "I was hoping I would have a big game. We were really pumped up for that first game. Last year it was a 6-0 game. This year, we really proved ourselves."
Last season, Michels missed the first six games with the injury. He came back to rush for 522 yards in the second half of the season and played in big role in getting Middletown into the playoffs.
"It was hard, not being able to play in my first year of varsity football," he said of standing on the sideline and watching the first game.
On Friday, Michels threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Chris Pirrone for the first touchdown of the game. It came early in the first quarter.
"He's been a quarterback before, that's one of his favorite plays," Middletown coach Kevin Lynott said of the halfback-option pass.
He scored an 18-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter and had touchdown runs of 14 and 45 yards in the second half.
The game was tied 14-14 at the half with Century scoring in the final minute of the first half on a 75-yard pass from Ryan Throndset to Brandon Soderstrom.
But the second half was dominated by the home team which scored 17 points in the third quarter alone.
Century, which had 167 yards passing in the first half only had 25 in the second.
"There was no Xs and Os changes," Lynott said. "It was just a matter of us hustling and playing together and playing hard. I think we wore them down and we turned it up."
He also said the Knights cut down on mistakes.
In the first half, a 14-yard run by Michels that put the ball on the Century 15 was negated by a holding penalty. They also lost a fumble on the Century 5-yard line in the second quarter.
Hunter Lumley scored on a 14-yard run for Middletown and Tyler Lyons threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Nick Rabat.
Freshman Zach Welch kicked a 34-yard field goal with plenty of distance to spare. It came against a stiff wind.
Lyons, who shared quarterback duties with Michael Pritts, was nine of 13 for 89 yards.
Middletown finished the game with 163 yards passing.
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The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Greg Hansen column
Sep 04, 04:11 AM
By Greg Hansen, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
Sept. 04--TOLEDO , Ohio
Mike Stoops kicked up so much dust in training camp that he should've been awarded a Ph.D. in psychology.
Arizona's football coach spent three weeks with such a hangdog look, observing with a critical eye and pouring himself into the day-to-day coaching with such intensity that you almost expected him to put on his old college jersey, No.46, and play a little free safety.
That's how much he wanted it; the Wildcats received his message and on Friday night played with suitable oomph.
When Arizona beat the Toledo Rockets 41-2 at the Glass Bowl it was vintage Stoops. He does not know what it is to take a looser grip on a football game, even one played against the Mid-American Conference. His team responded not with a sloppy, opening-night, we-need-a-lot-of-work escape, but by crushing a MAC team the way a team with Rose Bowl aspirations should.
"I'm not going to beat my chest; we still have a long way to go," he said, "but it's a great start."
Might we have seen this coming?
After you get torn up 33-0 by Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl, it's human nature to wonder if those twin 8-5 seasons of 2008 and 2009 were, in some way, flukes. But upon further review, after a suspense-free night near Lake Erie, there was no chance Arizona was going to be complacent at Toledo. And it wasn't.
The Rockets couldn't solve Arizona's no-huddle, pedal-to-the-floor offense, they couldn't cover Juron Criner, and they couldn't disrupt Nick Foles or put enough stress on him to get him out of rhythm.
The Wildcats weren't perfect, but their mistakes weren't magnified because Toledo isn't that good. So what. If you schedule judiciously, not opening at TCU or at BYU, you can grow your confidence rather than be forced to rebuild it.
"I wouldn't say everything was perfect," said Criner, who was dazzling with 11 catches, 187 yards and a touchdown. But my goodness, Criner himself had more yards than the entire Toledo team (183).
First-game co-offensive coordinator Seth Littrell won the game of X's and O's against Toledo co-defensive coordinators Mike Ward and Paul Nichols. After Foles directed Arizona 68 yards on its first possession, completing all five of his passes to produce a 7-0 lead, never requiring a huddle, Nichols, appeared to flip out.
With suitable animation, he gathered the Rockets defensive players around him and tried to explain how to get into proper coverages, pointing a finger here, waving an arm there, but it didn't work.
Arizona averaged 7.5 yards per play, an extraordinary number, and much of it goes back to Littrell and his fellow offensive coaches, especially line coach Bill Bedenbaugh and quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo, who got the no-huddle offense up and running, humming, actually, in the off-season.
They were prepared, and it showed. Incredibly, Arizona did not huddle once while Foles was in the game.
"We didn't have great tempo all night. We had three straight three-and-outs in the first half, and you can't afford those lulls," said Littrell. "But we regained our tempo and played hard. That covers up some mistakes."
By the middle of the third quarter, Toledo's defense was scattered and spent. The test now is to do something similar against more veteran coaching staffs in the Pac-10 and against Iowa.
Through the last 30 years, Arizona has had a disturbing tendency of goofing up early games against inferior competition. Those long-ago losses to Fresno State, New Mexico and Colorado State, among others, always seemed to prevent the Wildcats from winning a championship or routinely selling out Arizona Stadium.
So if nothing else, taking Toledo apart suggests the Wildcats have recovered from the Holiday Bowl debacle.
Stoops set the tone. Not only did he re-do his staff, promoting Littrell, Bedenbaugh and Tim Kish, and hiring Scelfo, but he reworked his team's self-worth. He was determined that Toledo wouldn't mess up eight months of image control.
"We had to put pressure on these young guys; the players have to understand what it's going to be like," he said. "We'll get a lot better from this."
Choosing to play this game on a Friday night, on ESPN, with no other competition in college football, was brilliant. It should gain Arizona some points in its eternal battle with its football identity crisis.
If you do well on ESPN, even against Toledo, people pay attention. It sells tickets, too.
Said Stoops, who knew that Friday's victory was worth more than a few customary yawns: "It's a big night. Going on the road; they've put it to some people here."
Stoops sprinkled the locker room with what seemed to be a record number of game balls. The entire defense got one. Several assistant coaches got others. He even gave one to new athletic director Greg Byrne, who tossed his game ball into the air, caught it and said, "You couldn't have scripted this much better."
Contact Greg Hansen at 573-4362 or ghansen@azstarnet.com
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Cats have right stuff
Sep 04, 04:11 AM
By Ryan Finley, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
Sept. 04--TOLEDO, Ohio -- That defense you were stressed about?
It dominated.
Those newcomers who made you worry? They dictated.
That scheme you doubted? It defied expectations.
The Arizona Wildcats opened their 2010 season with a blastoff Friday night, defeating Toledo 41-2 in a nationally televised game from the Glass Bowl.
That Arizona won wasn't a surprise; the Wildcats were two-touchdown favorites against a slower, smaller MAC team. How they won, however, surprised just about everybody wearing a throwback-inspired white helmet -- and the head coach -- on a crisp September evening.
Arizona's defense was its mutually agreed-upon weak spot throughout training camp. The four returning starters and seven newcomers struggled to stop the Wildcats' offense in drills, and seemed lost, timid and weak during all three public scrimmages.
Friday's performance was the exact opposite -- sharp, aggressive and, most of all, effective.
"It was," cornerback Trevin Wade said, "pretty much a surprise."
Consider:
--Arizona's defense held Toledo's offense scoreless, the Rockets' only points coming on a safety when UA guard Conan Amituanai was called for holding in the end zone during the second quarter. "I wish that 2 was a zero," Wade said with a smile. "It'd be a lot better."
--Toledo gained just 183 yards, 250 fewer than its per-game average a year ago. The Rockets averaged just 3.6 yards per play, a plodding pace so boring that most of the 25,907 fans were gone by the end of the third quarter.
"It was a big disappointment," Rockets coach Tim Beckman said.
--The Wildcats leaned on their newcomers, transfers, and down-the-depth chart players
Linebacker Paul Vassallo, playing in his first Division I game following a stellar junior college career, led the team with 10 tackles. Derek Earls, another JC transfer linebacker, turned the game with a second-quarter interception. Justin Washington, an afterthought at defensive tackle, had one of the team's two sacks.
Reminded of the Wildcats' previous struggles, defensive end Ricky Elmore could only smile and shake his head.
"From where we were two weeks ago to where we were today -- leaps and bounds," he said. "Our heads were in the right place, we were ready to play, and it showed."
Toledo only threatened once. Austin Dantin connected with Eric Page for a pass midway through the third quarter that moved the Rockets to Arizona's 9-yard line. The Wildcats stuffed two consecutive runs, then watched as Dantin overthrew his receiver in the end zone. Toledo went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 3; Arizona flushed Dantin to the left and forced him to make a tough pass in traffic. He bounced it.
"We were up 28-2 at the time, and we came up with more big plays inside the 10-yard line," coach Mike Stoops said. "You always get confidence from that; that's something you need."
The Wildcats had their offensive stars, of course.
Quarterback Nick Foles was stellar, completing 32 of 37 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns. One of the scores went to Juron Criner, who caught 11 passes for 187 yards and ended up on SportsCenter's "Top Plays" -- twice. Tailback Nicolas Grigsby may have turned the game with a 36-yard dash three minutes before halftime. Though he finished with only 53 yards on eight carries, his two touchdowns gave the Wildcats some much-needed breathing room.
But it was the defense -- criticized mercilessly for weeks in practice -- that stood out.
The Wildcats planned it that way.
Wade and the UA defensive starters met repeatedly in the days leading up to Friday's opener. The topic: First impressions.
"We talked about not re-establishing what we had, but about establishing what we had," co-defensive coordinator Tim Kish said. "It was us defining who we're going to be in 2010. It was our first chance to make a statement."
The Wildcats' performance Friday spoke volumes.
What, were you worried?
"We have a long way to go and we have to make a lot of corrections, but I like what we have out here," Kish said. "We have a chance to be very good on defense down the road."
Up next
--What: The Citadel at Arizona
--When: 7 p.m. next Saturday
--TV: Channel 58
--Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 990-AM (Spanish)
WELCOME ABOARD
Two new Cats made an impact:
10
Tackles for LB Paul Vassallo, a transfer from Sierra Community College in Rocklin, Calif.
1
Sack in his first play as a Cat for redshirt freshman DT Justin Washington
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Signed football cheers deployed Marine
Sep 04, 04:10 AM
By Jim Carney, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio
Sept. 04--It was much more than just a football.
This football, signed by the football coaches at his alma matter, Ellet High School, carried special meaning for a Marine serving in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Aaron Byard, 20, a 2008 Ellet graduate, was given the football by family friend Mark Thomas last month. Thomas was in Afghanistan on business.
Byard, a helicopter mechanic in the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363, said receiving the football signed by coach Joe Yost and his assistant coaches was significant.
"I know to most people, those names don't mean anything but to me, those are some of the most influential names in my history," the Marine offered in an e-mail. "Countless defining moments can be attributed to them and their mentorship."
Thomas, 49, a retired recruiter for the Navy Reserve and the Ohio Army National Guard, now works for Mission Essential Personnel. The company provides translators to the military.
The Akron man said he delivered the football along with some candy sent by Byard's mother, Sue, to Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan.
"To see the look on his face when he got the football" was worth a million dollars, said Thomas.
Thomas' sons also played football at Ellet.
Byard was a middle linebacker at Ellet and began talking to Marine recruiters at age 17.
"I have always dreamed of being a Marine," he said.
With the Marine Corps, he said, he has "found something to believe in" and "found a way to be a part of something bigger."
The Marine's tour in Afghanistan is expected to be over sometime this month, said his father, Bob Byard.
He said his son will first spend some time at his base at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and then will likely visit Akron sometime in October.
"Many people in the area are praying for Aaron and his safe return," Bob Byard said.
The Marine's brothers, Alex and Andrew, also played football at Ellet.
Ellet football coach Joe Yost said the football that Thomas took was the second football that has gone to Byard.
Yost said the first football was sent to Byard early in his tour in Afghanistan.
Thomas approached Yost a second time and asked if he and his assistants would sign a second one.
"It was our privilege," Yost said.
Yost's assistant coaches are John Sarver, Gary Yost, Bill Lehman, Chuck Shuman, Bob Clark, Brian Geer, Craig Dutton, Tyler Dunigan, Vince Ursetti, Ryan and Mike Canavan, and Byard's brother, Alex.
The Byard family -- particularly parents Sue and Bob -- have been supportive of Ellet football over the years, Yost said.
Sue Byard was in charge of the two-a-day summer practice lunches for football players for eleven years.
The family was also part of a group of parents who hosted huge Thursday night meals at their homes for 80 to 100 football players, coaches and cheerleaders during the football season.
The Byards hosted nearly 40 of those dinners with the help of many other Ellet parents, said Sue Byard.
"We hope the boys are safe and that they know there are people that care about them," Yost said.
Thomas said when he saw Byard in late July, the conditions in Afghanistan were baking hot with temperatures about 120. During the visit, Byard showed Thomas the helicopter he works on.
Byard says he is grateful for such a meaningful gift from home.
"I could never thank them enough," he said.
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
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