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photo by Jessa Love Adams/The Eagle

October 20, 2011Page 4

David Osborne Jr.sports editor

d.osborne@eaglemail.ceu

KC Smurthwaiteeditor and chief

kc.smurthwaite@eaglemail.ceu.edu

State’s best quarterback is in Logan

Smurf Turf:

Katie Bigelowstaff writer

k.bigelow@eaglemail.ceu.edu

The past few weeks have been rough at Utah State University Eastern. The USU Eastern Volleyball team rescheduled their College of North Idaho game, traveled north to the College of Southern Idaho and played Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangley.

The team played CSI on Thursday October 6, 2011. The Lady Eagles lost in three games. They only scored an average of 13 points. CSI had a clean sweep with scores showing 25-13, 25-13, 25-15. “We didn’t block, and we didn’t play well,” said coach Chelsey Warburton. The

team had only one block in the first game and a meager three blocks in the second. CSI had roughly 11 or 12 blocks. The team struggled with their usual strengths of passing, block-ing, and having good communication. “We started slow and the game stayed that way for us,” commented Warburton. According to the coaches, the energy level was low for the girls.

Due to Coach Barton’s funeral being on October 8, the volleyball reschedule the North Idaho game to attend his memorial service.

On Saturday October 15, the Lady Eagles traveled to CNCC. They were able to put together a win. CNCC had a surprise win in the first game. “Again, our team started out slow, but we picked it up and won the next three,” reminisced Warburton. The next

games had the girls pulling it together for a win. “Those who were are the court started working together,” commented Warburton.

The Lady Eagles have a tough couple weeks coming up. The rescheduled game against NI, for Wednesday October 19. War-burton said, “We have to play great.” Over four days the team will play NI, Salt Lake Community College and Snow College. “We play great teams, so we have to have great passing, blocking, and communication. The girls will need rest because of the big games. We are going to need our bench; they will be huge,” said Warburton.

The Lady Eagles are going to need support and encouragement for the tough games they play over four days.

Volleyball: hot and cold

Coach Chelsey Warburton has always had a love for sports, with a love of volleyball bringing her to USU Eastern. She played vol-leyball while attending Carbon High School. She went on to attend College of Eastern Utah where she played basketball for a year and then onto Weber State University where another three years of bas-ketball were played, but returned to Carbon County to coach the Lady Eagles.

“After playing I always wanted to be around it; competing, teach-ing and learning from the girls,” said Coach Warburton. She was

an assistant coach for the USU Eastern volleyball team during the 2010-2011 season, and returned this year as co-head coach with Grant Barraclough.

“Chelsey is a really posi-tive inf luence. She knows a lot about the game, and always has something to say to you that will help you improve personally.

“She sets the bar high in prac-tice and games and expects us to reach it; she is always pushing us and encour-aging us to play

our best. She’s always saying, ‘If that person blocks you, block them back! Don’t just feel bad for yourself because you got blocked,’” explained sophomore middle blocker, Joy Malone.

Warburton says her goal, as coach is to, “help pick the program up to where it should be.” She wants her players to be the best that they can be, and they know it.

Lindzee Bair, freshmen for the Lady Eagles said,

“She give 100 percent in everything she does. She always pushes the team to be better and doesn’t let us settle for good enough.” Beth Lid-dell, also a freshmen on the team said, “She pushes us to where we think we’ll break, and then further. She knows we can do better.”

Coach Warburton has also de-veloped a good association with the volleyball team. Bair and Malone shared their favorite things about Warburton; Bair said, “When she jokes around with us.” “ She knows how to laugh and have fun with us. She is always cracking jokes or laughing,” said Malone.

Her goal for the team, “Teach the girls something that they will carry with them after volleyball as well as while they’re playing for me.”

Smurf Turf is impressed along with some other sports journalists in the Beehive state. Statistically speaking the best quarterback in the state of Utah is an 18 year old from Texas. Enter the man...er… kid they call Chuckie Keeton. Keeton is start-ing to make residents in Logan realize that the best football in Cache County is not at Logan High School.

Utah State Universities 2-4 record doesn’t show it, but this is a dangerous football team. Smurf would like to point out that USU has blown four fourth-quarter leads including a ten-point lead with a little over three minutes left over nationally ranked Auburn. Keeton is also the only starting quarterback in Utah who has yet to throw the pigskin to the wrong team. Not only is he not turning the ball over but he is keeping defensive coordinators honest with his feet. The 6’2’’ 185-pound freshman has ground out a little over 200 yards on the ground, with a few touchdowns.

Keeton isn’t putting up Heis-man like numbers yet, but he is getting the job done. Granted, a few hundred fans have joined the “ Chuckie Keeton for Heisman,” facebook page. The Heisman talk is a little pre-mature, but so is Keeton’s success. The USU foot-ball coaches knew early on that success would come with him at the helm. Once at a summer prac-tice head coach Gary Andersen called 22 blitzes in a row to try to frazzle the freshman, but nothing fazed the young Texan. We look across the state and see that the star starting quarterback is not named Jake Heaps, Brigham Young University (maybe a LDS mission would have been a better route) or Jordan Wynn, University of Utah (going under the knife…again).

Keeton originally committed to Air Force, but de-commited and made a pledge to the Aggies on the same day that they upset BYU. He wasn’t even going to be the outright starter going into the first game against Auburn. The original plan was for him to split time with JUCO transfer Adam Kennedy. Keeton started the game and never let the coaches have a reason to pull him, so they didn’t. Keeton is making the Aggies a threat in the college foot-ball scene. As much as Smurf is shocked to say this, the best quarterback in the state is wearing blue, and it’s not Cougar Blue.

Samara Rae Wells, also known as Mara, Marinator, Mar Bar, and Marnia, was born on June 1, 1993 to Sheila and Monte Wells. She is 18 but, wise beyond her years. No mat-ter the subject, she is always able to chime in with a random fact or witty remark. You could say she is a walking, talking Google.

Wells, graduated from Monticello High School, along with 51 students. She loved going to a small school, her favorite thing

about it was, “being able to feel comfort-able. [She] wasn’t worried about making a fool of [herself] because everyone was

comfortable with each other.” While in high school, she participated in volleyball and track. She excelled in both; taking state in the 4x100 meter relay her senior year and being named to the all-state volleyball team three years in a row.

Volleyball is what brings Wells to USU Eastern. When her strained toe isn’t bother-ing her, you will find Wells hard at work in the gym, perfecting her skills in the position of setter. “I love setting,” she says, “I love team work. I love when six individuals on the court can come together as one to beat an opponent.”

Beating opponents is very important to Wells. Her least favorite thing about the game is losing. She loves the competitive nature and atmosphere, and is willing

to work hard to achieve success. Danee Mer-rell said of Wells, “She is a hard worker, good setter and has a good attitude. She is willing to get stuff done… And she loves Google.”

When asked if she would rather lick a frog or a one-dollar bill, she replied, “Neither. I’d rather die.” You see, Mara Wells is a little scared of germs. Teammate Kylie Cordon said, “NEVER ask Mara if you can use her chap stick or have a sip of her drink. If you even touch her chicken nugget it’s yours.” Her most prized possession is her hand sanitizer. If you ever need to sanitize, do not fear, Wells has it. She will gladly give you a squirt of her hand sanitizer; just make sure you don’t touch her in the process. But, if you happen to slip and make contact, it’ll be alright. She’ll just sanitize it all away. She hates when people don’t wash their hands, especially when they come out of the bathroom. She shared one of the plethora of random facts stored

in her brain. “Did you know, guys hands are cleaner than girls? Girls put on lotion and that traps in germs.”

Wells is studying to be a high school history teacher and coach. Already, Wells is developing coaching strategies and tactics. She is involved with her team, giving them individual advice to help better their game.

“Joy, you Joy! Oh… and Abby,” these two people are her favorite things about USU Eastern, how nice of her to say. She loves the “peeps” here and the fact that she has the opportunity to continue playing volleyball. She enjoys the variety of classes; Institute being her favorite. You can find Wells, with all her knowledge, sarcasm and hand sani-tizer strolling around campus, enjoying life. Ask her for a random fact, she surely will not disappoint. Don’t be scared to approach her, her name may be Samara Wells, but she is definitely not the girl from “The Ring.”

“If you even touch her chicken nugget…”

Samara Wells:

The great debate

Who belongs in the BCS National Championship game? It seems like this debate comes up every year, and it does have to come up every year because unlike the professional sports college players don’t have to worry about salary caps and lockouts, which in reality makes life really nice. But back to the real subject who belongs in the title game? Right now five teams in the BCS standings and the AP Top 25 poll are all stand out teams that are undefeated and have a legitimate claim to go to New Orleans and participate in the All-State BCS National Championship Game.

The five teams that have claims to the title game are Louisiana State University, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Standford. All of these teams have made statements throughout the season and deserve to be looked at, and “Next on the tee” is going to give each one a look.

LSU TigersLSU may be the most explosive,

deep and toughest team in all of college football. They started their season against number three Oregon, which made an appearance in last season’s BCS title game against Auburn. LSU ran, passed and pretty much walked all over the Ducks. Since then LSU has beaten three more teams that have been in the AP Top 25. Remaining in the schedule are three more ranked teams including number 20 Auburn at home, number two Alabama in Tuscaloosa and number nine Arkansas at home. Unfortunately, having to play Alabama in their own backyard I think is going to be too much for the Tigers and they are going to end up losing. But if they can pull it off you can more than likely crown LSU as the National Champions right on the spot because there will not be much more to stop them.

Alabama Crimson Tide“Roll TIDE!,” and everybody

in college football knows that that is exactly what the Crimson Tide do under head coach Nick Saban, they roll all over the opposing offense and defense. So far the Crimson Tide have beat four Top 25 teams and only have two left on the schedule, those two teams are LSU and Auburn. Going back to what I said about LSU, Alabama at home is pretty much impossible to beat so you can almost put up a “W” right there. The Auburn game is a little different just because it is the Iron Bowl, one of college football’s greatest rivalries and anything can happen. I am still predicting that the Tide will roll over both of these teams, and all over whomever they play in the SEC Championship game, and all the way to New Orleans. Alabama is the hardest team to beat and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Oklahoma Sooners“Boomer Sooner,” need I say

more? Oklahoma has put their foot on the gas and haven’t stopped all season. They have scored 272 points this season compared to the 105 that they have given up. Landry Jones and they make you attempt to play catch up (which doesn’t hap-pen because the defense keeps the field locked up like a safety deposit box in a Swiss bank. The sooner’s have already sent two ranked op-ponents away with their heads hung in shame, including Texas, which is Oklahoma’s biggest rival. They have three ranked opponents left on the schedule, including Okla-

homa State, which means that the “Bedlam” game is going to be a great one this year, espe-See Debate

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Number 8, Joy Malone, sets the ball up for a return at a previous game in the BDAC.

Joy Malone and Abigail Ericson

guest writers

Co-head coach brings talent, strength to program

photo courtesy of Tyson Chappell

Chelsey Warburton

Karli Morrisstaff writer

k.morris@eaglemail.ceu.edu