Miners Coach Would Like To Dig Up More Intensity
Most coaches would discourage fighting among teammates, but they do things a little differently in the Silver Valley.
“I’m not sure if my players are intense enough, I’d actually like to see a couple fights break out in practice so I know they’re getting after each other.”
This comes from Dave Rounds, coach of the A-3 independent Wallace Miners.
Although one might be led to believe that Rounds is a gruff throwback to the days of Lombardi, he’s actually a personable coach who is a little worried that his young team isn’t intense enough to be ready for its battle with rival Kellogg on Friday. The Miners opened last week with a 35-6 win over Potlatch.
“The Kellogg rivalry is really what we live for since it’s really the only league match-up that we have all year,” Rounds said.
Wallace will start five sophomores this season after losing almost every starter from last season’s senior-laden squad.
Included in that group of seniors was the entire offensive backfield, which means some underclassmen will have to step up as team leaders.
Rounds said Kevin Lee will have to take over at running back and Jake Sprute at quarterback. Fortunately for Sprute, he will have a pair of seniors - Chris Carlson and Ian Cotter - as targets.
“I expect Carlson and Cotter to have a great season and be our team leaders,” Rounds said.
Last season the Miners were 3-5-1 with three of those losses by two points or less.
In order for this year’s team to be close in every game the defense is going to have to come through. “Our offense is ready to play and we’re going to put some points on the board,” Rounds said. “Our defense, though, is still in question and we are jockeying some players to find out who can start all year.”
If his team is to compete, he expects his linemen to lead the way by opening up holes for his young runners. The team may not be experienced, but there are almost as many players as last year, so the future looks brighter than the present.
“We’re not very physically big or extremely fast, so we are going to have to play extremely smart and not have a lot of penalties,” Rounds said.
xxxx A-3 Independent Wallace Miners 1995 record:3-5-1 Coach: Dave Rounds Years coaching, record:5, 20-16-1 Top returners:Chris Carlson, senior, 5-foot-7, 145 pounds, wide receiver/ defensive back; Ian Cotter, senior, 5-11, 135, wr/db; Colby Matilla, sr., 5-10, 162, offensive line/ defensive line; Evan Church, sr., 6-2, 226, ol/dl; Scott Thomas, sr., 6-1, 197, ol/dl. Top newcomers:Jake Sprute, sophomore, 5-11, 166, quarterback/db. Kevin Lee, junior, 5-11, 143, wr/db; Josh Lavigne, soph., 6-0, 168, tight end/defensive end. Quick kicks:The Miners will start five sophomores on a team that lost almost its whole roster from last year to graduation. Coach’s comment: “We’re in great shape. We have the same amount of players out as last year. Our main propblem is most of those players are freshmen.” Outlook: The Miners will need to get big performances from Sprute and Lee on offense to make waves once state tournament time roles around. Rounds feels one of the keys to a successful year will be to keep penalties down, which is something Wallace has had trouble doing in the past.