By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Coach Donnie Bigby naturally is looking for ways to fire up his Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; football team for today’s season final at home with Tyler.
“How will we be remembered?” Bigby, who’s completing his first season as coach, said with feeling on Friday.
The Golden Norsemen (3-5, 1-4 in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference) and Apaches (6-2, 3-2) are scheduled to clash at 3 p.m. in Miami at Robertson Field.
NEO again has been relegated to the sidelines for the SWJCFC postseason playoffs.
“We also are saying we aren’t going backward anymore,” Bigby said. “We improved for three straight weeks until last week. Suddenly, we regressed (in losing 68-36 at Kilgore last Saturday).
“We want a performance tomorrow similar to the effort we had against Blinn,” Bigby said.
The Golden Norsemen piled up 457 yards in losing 55-42 to top-ranked Blinn on Oct. 17 in Miami.
Tyler, headed for the playoffs, is ranked 17th by the NJCAA and is tied with NEO 20-20-1 in a series that started in 1954.
“They’ve beaten the people they should have beaten,” Bigby said of the Danny Palmer-coached Apaches. “That’s also where we want to be.”
The NEO coaching staff and fans will say goodbye to some 20 sophomores.
Veteran tailback Da’Sor Horton, a 5-foot-11, 204-pounder from Oklahoma City Douglass, needs 108 rushing yards to reach 1,000 to become the 10th NEO player to reach that plateau. He’s second in rushing in the SWJCFC and in runner-up in scoring with 90.
Freshman wide receiver John Goodlett (Owasso) leads the league with 607 yards on 28 receptions. He has seven TD catches.
Freshman cornerback Colby Ellis (Tonkawa) is No. 1 in the SWJCFC with 87 total tackles. Freshman linebackers Eddie General (Trinity Christian, Fla.) and Adam Ramsey (Vinita) rank third and fourth with 72 and 70.
Notes: The theme for the final is “Let’s make a difference — Tough enough to wear pink” — as part of the Susan G. Koman breast cancer awareness month. For $10, a fan will receive a T-shirt and game ticket. There also will be a can food drive co-sponsored by the Ministerial Alliance and the Nutrition Coalition. Fans donating five items (or 10 by a family) will be admitted free. Children can wear Halloween costumes and parade around Robertson Field. Candy will be distributed to participants by members of the women’s and men’s soccer teams. Game tickets ($6 for adults, $3 for students and senior citizens) go on sale at 2 p.m. ... Today’s league schedule is topped by Blinn (8-0, 5-0) at Navarro (8-0, 5-0). Also, Kilgore (3-5, 2-3) is at Cisco (1-7, 1-4). Trinity Valley entertains Arkansas Baptist in a nonconference game.
Sports
Norsemen entertain Tyler to conclude season
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