Lincoln Looming Again as Team to Beat : City Central Football Preview

Lincoln High has a posture not unlike that of Chicago’s Sears Tower--it has always cast a long, dark shadow over its football neighbors.

Last year, Lincoln was 9-1, enough to take the luster off second-placce Crawford’s 7-3 finish.

This year, not even Crawford appears to have the strength to stay that close. Lincoln has 22 lettermen back, 14 of whom were all-league. A title this season would e Lincoln’s six since 1981, the league’s first year. The Hornets have a 42-3 league record; they began preparations for their title defense with a 40-8 victory over Cardozo of Washington, D.C., Saturday.

But winners are not simply crowned; they first must play out the season. One team, Crawford, is intent on taking a wrecking ball to the Hornets.

THE RACE

Top contenders: Lincoln (9-1), Crawford (7-3).

Surprise potential: St. Augustine (2-8).

Hoping for Improvement: Christian (6-4), Hoover (3-7), San Diego (1-8-1).

Game of the year: Crawford vs. Lincoln at Mesa College oct. 14. The football will be a baton passed freely among many of the county’s top sprinters.

THE PLAYERS

The man: Vernon Shaver. The Crawford senior is the kind of wide receiver responsible for giving defensive backs nicknames such as Toast. But Shaver, a 10.9-second 100-meter sprinter, also presents problems for his own coaching staff: “We’ll have to do a decent job of coaching to free him up against double and triple coverage,” said Dan Armstrong, the Crawford coach.

Who will fill Raymond Thompson’s shoes? Thompson was an all-stae offensive tackle for Crawford and a major reason the Colts got to the playoffs as the league’s second-place finisher. If Crawford is to at least match that finish, then Tom Nickel, 6-feet-2 1/2, must pick up where Thompson left off.

“He’ll be valued not only because he knows who he’s supposed to block, but also because he knows who everyone else is supposed to block,” was Armstrong’s way of explaining how a student with a 4.0 great-point average aids a football team.

While Thompson is expected to clear the way, Peer Irvin, a senior who wsa ineligible last year, is expected to run behind him.

“He’s tough--he’s going to be real good,” Armstrong said.

Others to watch on offense: Some opponents may find a sign of hope in the fact that quarterback Dave Drake is not among Lincoln’s 22 returners. But Lincoln Coach Vic Player has a little something up his sleeve. He insists that Drake’s replacement, junior Mike Temple, improves that position.

Not only can Temple throw long and accurately, but he also has targets who can get behind a secondary. Flanker Dwayne McAfee, fullback Charles Brown (who ran for 163 yards and two touchdowns in the opening victory), wide receiver Scott Hammond and tailback Doug Boyd made up Lincoln’s state-meet-qualifying 400-meter relay team, which ran 41.9 seconds last spring. Now they’ll see how fast they are on grass.

Others to watch on defense: Keith Green, an all-league free safety with San Diego one year ago, may be one of the few guys in the leavue able to contain Crawford’s Shaver. He, too, has 10.9 speed in the 100. St. Augustine will rely on Tom Corona, a starter at free safety as a sophomore who missed last season because of an injury, to shore up its secondary. One other defensive back to keep an eye on: Lincoln’s Peter Thrift. He was a CIF all-section performer last year. Lincoln intercepted five passes, returning one for a touchdown, in its opening victory.

THE INTANGIBLES

Private matters: Marty Martin, St. Augustine’s second-year coach, wasn’t the only guy to transfer from Christian High to St. Augustine over the past two years. Coming over this summer were three playres: Josh Broullitte, who plays on both the offensive and defensive lines; Hunter Buckner, who hopes to live up to his first name as an outside linebacker and will double as a running back; and Barrett Precor, another linebacker/running back.

All three started for Martin as sophomores two years ago at Christian.

Said one Central League coach, “The guy (Martin) is recruiting again.”

Execpt at private schools, it’s not called recruiting; it’s called transferring.

No laughing matter: St. Augustine has been the league’s laughingstock since 1982, its last winning season, but coaches say that’s about to change.

“Marty’s a good coach,” said Hoover’s JOhn Johnson. “He’s had a history of improving programs.”

In 1984, Martin took over a Christian team that had suffered through three consecutive losing seasons. In the next four years under Martin, Christian went 6-3-1, 7-3, 6-6 and 6-5.

St. Augustine went 2-8 in 1988, Martin’s first year.

It’s the speed that matters: As far as swiftness goes, no one will be able to catch Lincoln. Not only will the school’s 400-meter relay team perform on the football field this fall, but so will its 1,600-meter relay, eighth fastest in the section last year. The members: Hammond, John McCartney, TE/CB; Terrell Davis, FB/DE; and Hanno Readen, DE.

As long as we’re talking track and field, let’s mention Lincoln receiver Deion Cheeks. He was a 6-foot-6 high jumper last spring and this fall will allow Lincoln to “reinstitute the alley-oop pass,” Player said.

Matters of opinion: A bold Vic Player of Lincoln--”I think our league, right now, everybody’s going to be tougher than last year.”

A bolder Dan Armstrong of Crawford--”I think we’re going to be on top. We always play Lincoln tough (13-9 loss in 1988), and we have just as good a chance as anyone to beat Lincoln this year.”

An even bolder Marty Martin of St. Augustine: “We’ll be right in the thick of things . . . if we can stay healthy.”

TUESDAY: City Eastern League.