VanBeber’s smile fades quickly

Disappointing debut wipes grin off face of Eagles’ head man

Jeff Kaley

WAURIKA — Prior to the start of Waurika’s opening game, Larry VanBeber had vowed the smile he was wearing would stay on his face throughout the 2009 season.

“I’m not going to let anything get to me, I’m just going to keep smiling,” Waurika’s head coach said, before the Eagles kicked off a new campaign at Snyder.

Well, it turned out to be a vow the intense VanBeber couldn’t keep. In the wake of a 54-21 loss, the smile was already gone from VanBeber’s face as he walked off the field at the Cyclone Bowl.

VanBeber had gone into the game feeling good about the Eagles’ chance for a victory. “Winning or losing this game won’t make or break our season, but it would be great to get off to a good start,” he’d said.

But what made VanBeber’s grin disappear so quickly was the way the first game had gone.

After 13 minutes in which it appeared they could match Snyder blow-for-blow, the Eagles’ performance had dissolved faster than their coach’s smile.

Waurika’s offense — which produced two long drives, 134 yards rushing and two touchdowns by the first minute of the second quarter — suddenly cratered.

Defensively, the Eagles were repeatedly burned by the Cyclones’ spread offense, giving up 54 points and 589 yards. Although SHS relied mainly on a handful of plays, Waurika’s defenders either failed to catch on or were physically unable to make stops.

The Cyclones rushed for 342 yards, while quarterback Miles Baker and running back Keegan Stucks combined to complete 13 of 19 passes for 247 yards.

“Snyder didn’t do anything we weren’t expecting from the spread offense and the passing game,” VanBeber said. “We knew we’d have problems defending against the pass, because we’re young in the secondary. But we didn’t help the secondary any because we didn’t rush the passer, and even when we were in the right place, we didn’t make plays.

“Defensively, (the Cyclones) didn’t make any adjustments after we scored, they just started beating us up front.”

A failure to make plays was troubling, but what bothered VanBeber most was the lack of conditioning that became apparent before the end of the first half, and the lack of self-discipline that occurred as Snyder pulled away down the stretch.

Waurika’s players were gasping for air midway through the second period, and in the second half, several were retching on the field and the sideline. Plus, the Eagles’ frustration was illustrated by three personal fouls in the final 18 minutes.

“I’m embarrassed by our conditioning, and also how we behaved when things weren’t going well,” VanBeber said. “I feel bad for everybody because I thought the kids were in shape and they weren’t, and I didn’t coach a very good game.

“But there’s no excuse for the way we acted when things weren’t going well.”

As is the nature of the game, on Saturday VanBeber said, “I’m ready to move on, because we’ve got a tough game coming up.”

In preseason, the District A-4 opener at Healdton had already been circled as a key encounter for both teams.

After slow starts, the Eagles and the Bulldogs finished the 2008 season well, and both are in a second year under their respective head coaches. Skipper Reade Box had planned to install a wishbone offense when he took the job at Healdton, but after an 0-6 start — that included a 20-8 loss to Waurika — the Bulldogs changed to a multiple-set scheme.

Going back to an offense that was familiar to the players, Healdton won three of its last four games in 2008, and then opened this season with a 26-20 win over Walters.

Speedy running back Dustin Roper scored three touchdowns against the Blue Devils, with Roper and quarterback J.J. Montaie able to do damage behind a good-sized offensive line and 250-pound fullback Garrett Powell.

In the win over Walters, an aggressive Healdton defense got 17 tackles from Chance Roberts and linebacker Powell had three of the Bulldogs’ six sacks.

EAGLE NOTES

Waurika’s conditioning shortcomings at Snyder may have been best revealed in the final 18 minutes of the game, when Cyclones backup running backs Eric Perez and freshman Seth Cosway combined for 185 yards and the final two touchdowns. Although he didn’t carry until the middle of the third period, Perez ended up the game’s rushing leader with 94 yards on nine carries.

While he took the blame for the Eagles’ physical conditioning, VanBeber thought the vomiting experienced by some players had a different source — legal quick energy drinks. “We see a lot of those little bottles of energy drinks laying around,” he noted. “But if you’re a football player in good condition, you don’t need that stuff.” ... Academic eligibility is another concern that may have an impact when the Eagles play at Healdton. It’s possible several key players will not be in uniform Friday.

Turnovers weren’t a serious problem at Snyder, which is often the case in season-openers. The Eagles’ only fumbled once, losing a bobble on their next-to-last possession late in the fourth quarter. ... Snyder fumbled three times but recovered each bobble. The Eagles did come up with a turnover with 6:31 left in the game, when freshman linebacker J.T. Fletcher intercepted a pass and returned it 12 yards.

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