The following boys from the Falcon High school cross country team have huge feathers in their respective hats today. Wes Rickman signed a letter of intent to attend Florida State University on a track scholarship. Kevin Johnson also signed a letter of intent to attend Cornell University on a track scholarship. These two student/athletes are to be commended on this accomplishment. Before this upcoming track season is over, I am certain their names will appear numerous times, not only in The New Falcon Herald but also in other newspapers around the country. They are exceptional athletes. Good luck with your future track, and keep us posted on your progress next year.YEA JORDANAnother name that came out of the athletic director’s office is Jordan Teeples. He has been awarded a full ROTC scholarship worth more than $15,000 per year. He is also a track athlete participating in the 1,600, 3,200 and one of the relay teams. This scholarship is a type 7 scholarship that pays $900 for books, plus a stipend. Only 20 percent are in this elite category. Congratulations, Jordan.HUSKER BOUNDWhile attending the Mesa Ridge basketball game last week, I noticed two young men wearing Nebraska caps; naturally, I struck up a conversation with them. The two fellows were the Gochenour brothers. Being from Nebraska myself, I was interested in why they were wearing the sacred caps. The younger of the two boys, Nate, told me he was going to be a walk-on at the University of Nebraska. One reason Nebraska has been powerful is its walk-on program. The athletes in this program do not have a scholarship; but, for their love of the game, they are willing to give it a try. Many of the athletes who went on to the varsity started this way. When and if they make the varsity team, their scholarship will kick in.In the 70s and 80s, when Nebraska was so powerful, the walk-on and weight room programs were years ahead of the rest of the nation. You cannot imagine the weight rooms in the Devaney Center. Professional NFL teams as well as a host of college teams made the trip to Lincoln to determine the secret behind Nebraska’s success. The weight room! Boyd Epply has been the strength coach for years; and, after selling Coach Devaney on his program, the rest is history. You do not have to be the biggest or the best; just have the heart and desire to see if this is what you want out of football. If the Nebraska coaches see this desire; and, after many hours of grueling work, there is a chance they might make a Nebraska football player out of you, Nate. Good luck.J.V. BOYS BASKETBALLFALCON VS. MESA RIDGELast week was the first time I had an opportunity to go to a junior varsity game. I was not disappointed in the play of these up-and-coming varsity athletes. At the start of the Falcon vs. Mesa Ridge ball game, it appeared the Falcons could come out on top. The score at the end of the first quarter was Falcon 7, Mesa Ridge 4. The score at the end of the second quarter; however, had changed leads and the Mesa Ridge team was out in front by 2: 13-11. Two back door field goals run by Mesa Ridge after they ran off 6 straight points changed the direction. In the third quarter, the Falcons took the lead at one time: 16-14. That was the last time they would be in front, with the quarter ending 18-24, Mesa Ridge. Late in the fourth quarter, Falcon made a good run, scoring 12 straight points to close within 2 at 34-36, but Coach Vince Dawson’s team could not hold on and the Mesa Ridge boys went home with a 46-39 victory. All in all, it was a great game to watch, even though the outcome was not what Falcon had hoped for.BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALLFALCON VS. MESA RIDGEOn this night, the better team was evident from the opening tipoff. The Falcons scored the first 2 points and never looked back. Lewis Bauman started off strong in the first quarter with a field goal and three rebounds. Adam Link was all over the floor with a field goal, a steal and a dunk.Paul Rotering finished out the first quarter, scoring with a rebound and a put back to set the tone. Falcon reeled off 8 straight points to make it Falcons, 13, Mesa Ridge, 6 at the end of the first quarter.During the second quarter, the points came in abundance, with Jordan Yates having the hot hand and putting down 10 points that included a pair of 3s. Link put on a dunking class for the crowd, with a pair of them, one of which he garnered a “T” for hanging on the rim. The Falcons then reeled off 14 straight points, with Jared Wilson hitting for 2 to end the half 31-15.Link started off the scoring with one of his patented dunks, followed by a field goal off an assist by Onorio Franco. With an assist from John Kienast, Link finished off his dunking show with a field goal. Franco put up 2 after a rebound and going coast to coast.In the last issue of the Vinnie Mac Sports Corner, I said I would address the reasons Franco did not dress for the last game. His surgeon thought he might have a hernia, but it turned out to be a bad muscle pull. After icing the pull and giving it a couple of well-deserved weeks of rest, he was back on the court for the Mesa Ridge game. I talked with Coach Ravasdy before the game and was told that Franco was about 75 or 80 percent. After watching him play against M.R., it appeared that he is almost as good as most point guards when they are 100 percent. When he is on his game, Franco is exciting to watch.Kienast beat the buzzer on a coast to coast to end the third quarter 52-21. The fourth quarter saw quite a bit of free-throw shooting from the Falcons. Both teams got a little sloppy in the middle of the fourth quarter, but the Falcons put down 7 points out of eight free throws. Jade Gale got a steal and went the distance for 2 and put down a 3-pointer to finish out the Falcon scoring. The final score was Falcons 72, Mesa Ridge 35. Ryan Livecchi did not dress for this game. He sprained an ankle during the last game and was carrying around a set of crutches. He should be good to go for the next game.FALCON VS. MITCHELLWhen you go to someone else’s house and let them put down 8 straight points, you can pretty much count on a hard-fought game. That was exactly the case Feb. 5. Falcon pulled into Mitchell High School, which had a record of 13 and 4 and a third place ranking in the metro league. They were in for the hard fight.Falcon could not buy a basket, missing the first six shots. It wasn’t until Paul Rotering put down 2 points with 3:27 left in the first quarter that the Falcons scored. Onorio Franco dished out two assists to Lewis Bauman and Adam Link to make the score 8-16 at the end of the first quarter. Franco stole the ball and dropped in 2 at the 4:40 mark. John Kienast made a field goal with 4:16 left to bring the score to 14-18, Mitchell. Jordan Yates made both ends of his free throws, and Paul Rotering stole the ball and put up 2 more. Six seconds later, Bauman stole the ball and canned it for 2 more. That tied the score at 20-20, but the Falcons could not hold on. The halftime score was 25-30 in favor of Mitchell.To start the second half, Franco dropped in 2 points while Rotering did his job under the basket for 3 straight rebounds and a put back. Adam Link dropped in 2 after an assist from Kienast. Bauman wound up the third quarter, scoring with a pair to bring it to 33-36. You could feel the tide changing.Jordan Yates started off the fourth scoring by dropping in the first of his free throws. He came right back to put up a field goal to tie the game at 38 all. Kienast made a free throw with 3:43 left, which put Falcon ahead by 1, but Mitchell came back with 2 points to take the lead at 39 -40. Yates then dropped in a field goal to again take the lead for Falcon. Bauman stole the ball from Mitchell and went coast to coast for 2. Yates, Kienast and Link finished out the scoring, giving Falcon a 48-43 win.It just goes to show, if the desire is strong enough, good things will come, even when you’re in someone else’s house.See you at the next Vinnie Mac Sports Corner.This column does not necessarily represent the views of The New Falcon Herald.
