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SPORTS •
kpcnews.com
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013
Brown gets 2nd chance with Colts INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Colts running back Donald Brown waited patiently for a chance to start this season. When he finally did, Brown delivered. The strong, silent running back who spent 4½ seasons trying to break through finally did Sunday, rushing for 46 of his 54 yards on the Colts’ final drive and scoring Indy’s only touchdown in a 22-14 victory over Tennessee that put them on the verge of an eighth AFC South title in 11 years. “I knew regardless of what happened, my number would get called in some form or fashion,” Brown said Monday. “When it is, you just make the most of it.” Coach Chuck Pagano was so impressed with Brown’s effort that he said Monday that Brown would start again this weekend when the AFC South-leading Colts (8-4) visit AFC North-leading Cincinnati (8-4) — a pivotal game for playoff seeding. Brown has seen just about everything in his 4½ seasons in the league. As a rookie, he was part of a team chasing perfection on its way to an AFC title. Two years ago, he endured the ignominy of an 0-13 start and the chase of imperfection. Last year, he was part of the second-greatest turnaround in league history, and now the Colts are one win, or one Titans loss, away from clinching their eighth division crown in 11 years. But for most of that time, Brown has watched those things happened — and this season has been no different. When starting running back Vick Ballard went down with a seasonending knee injury after the season opener, Indy turned to offseason acquisition Ahmad Bradshaw. When Bradshaw was lost with a season-ending neck injury after Week 3, the newly acquired Trent Richardson inherited the
AP
Indianapolis Colts’ Donald Brown (31) celebrates with teammates Mario Harvey (54) and Joe Reitz (76) following
job even though he was still learning the offense. And as Richardson’s struggles continued and the patience of fans waned, the Colts continued to make Brown the change-of-pace guy. Brown never complained. Instead, he just kept working, knowing his chance would come. “He is the ultimate team guy,” NFL sacks leader Robert Mathis said. “He doesn’t like to talk about himself because he’s not his favorite subject. He just goes to work and he just lets his play do all the talking.” Brown prefers it that way. But this was not the plan Indy had when it took the UConn star with the 27th overall pick in 2009. Back
a 4-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NFL game against Tennessee on Sunday in Indianapolis.
then, the Colts envisioned Brown becoming the workhorse back and the eventual replacement for Joseph Addai. Though he never quite lived up to the billing, he refused to give up and became one of the most respected guys in the locker room. “He’s a great pro. He’s reliable. He’s accountable,” Pagano said. It’s been tough. Brown started only nine times in his first two seasons, running for just 778 combined yards and five touchdowns. Even in 2011, with Peyton Manning out and the Colts’ offense sputtering, Brown was one of the lone bright spots averaging 4.8 yards on 134
carries. Yet he still found himself playing behind Addai and making only two starts. It looked like Brown might get another chance when Indy cleaned house last season and kept Brown around. Instead, after taking Luck’s first NFL pass for a long touchdown in the 2012 preseason opener, Brown lost the starting job to Ballard when he got hurt and never won it back. Brown finished the season with 57 carries for 324 yards and three TDs. Critics have long complained Brown can’t pass block, pointing to a blown pickup on fourth down late in a loss to Miami in Week 2 as
Jets pull away from Rangers NEW YORK (AP) — Olli Jokinen broke a tie with 7:18 left in the third period and then netted an insurance goal moments later to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers and rookie goalie Cam Talbot on Monday night. Jokinen, a former Rangers player who also assisted on Devin Setoguchi’s tying goal in the second period, gathered the puck after a strange carom off the end boards. He then fired a shot past Talbot, who got a surprise second straight start over No. 1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist, to make it 3-2. Jokinen then squeezed his sixth of the season between Talbot’s pads with 1:54 left. Talbot had won six straight starts, including a victory Saturday over Vancouver in his Madison Square Garden debut when he made a careerbest 35 saves. Talbot hadn’t allowed more than two goals in his first seven starts, a Rangers record. John Albert also scored in his NHL debut and Blake Wheeler added an empty-net goal in the final minute for Winnipeg, which got 35 saves from Ondrej Pavelec in the fourth-game of
one illustration, and that he didn’t hit holes hard enough. Today, those same people champion Brown’s patience to set up blocks, something they don’t believe Richardson has done well enough. Richardson is averaging 2.8 yards per carry since coming over from Cleveland in a September trade, while Brown has thrived in mostly limited action. He rushed three times for 65 yards at Jacksonville, six times for 37 yards against Seattle, three times for 15 yards at San Diego, six times for 49 yards at Houston and 14 times for 80 yards and two TDs at Tennessee before Sundays’ showing. Indy’s only lost just one game during that stretch — to the Chargers. And Brown doesn’t have any plans to change things now. “Just staying the course,” he said when asked what’s different this year. “Knock on wood, staying healthy, staying strong. Just obviously studying the game plan inside and out. It’s knowing what everybody else is doing and then obviously knowing what the defense is going to do. It’s just studying, staying healthy and just staying patient.” Notes: Pagano said Daniel “Boom” Herron will have surgery for a torn pectoral muscle and will be placed on season-injured reserve. … Starting defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois is expected to miss two to four weeks after being diagnosed with a partially torn plantar fascia. … Pagano also said Jeff Linkenbach, who started at right guard Sunday, has a slight tear in his quad and is listed as week-to-week. … The Colts are planning to ease three other injured players — cornerbacks Josh Gordy (groin) and Greg Toler (groin) and backup linebacker Kavell Conner (ankle) back into practice this week in hopes all three could play against the Bengals.
SARKISIAN: New Trojan coach good at developing quarterbacks FROM PAGE B1
during my 11 years at USC. I am especially proud of this year’s team and coaching staff, who had to start a new season and then bonded, played together as a family and competed like Trojans.” USC players were told not to speak to reporters after leaving a team meeting with Haden, but many went online to post mixed feelings about the move. “Words can’t explain how I’m feeling right now…. just lost a father. Way more than a coach,” tweeted USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who was named to the all-Pac-12 first team Monday. Orgeron recruited Williams out of his native Florida. “I’m on board Sark was very close to getting me to come with him to U Dub,” USC freshman tailback Justin Davis tweeted. Sarkisian takes over one of college football’s crown jewel programs, a five-time AP national champion with a lengthy history of national prominence. He also inherits a roster stocked with solid talent by Kiffin and Orgeron, yet still laboring under the last of NCAA sanctions stemming from violations during Carroll’s era. Next season is USC’s last year of scholarship limitations, keeping the Trojans with just 75 scholarship players on their roster — 10 fewer than other schools. Sarkisian was on Carroll’s staff as the quarterbacks coach for USC’s national title in 2003. He left for one season with the Oakland Raiders while the Trojans won another title in 2004, but returned for the next four seasons at USC before Washington called. Sarkisian played a major role in the Trojans’ development of a string of standout quarterbacks, coaching Heisman Trophy winners
Local Sports Briefs • Youth Baseball/Softball Academy to host holiday camps ELKHART — The Eastlake Chargers Baseball/Softball Academy will be hosting two camps just after Christmas at its facility on 3400 Henke Road: a catchers camp Dec. 28 and 29 and a hitting camp Dec. 29 and 30. The catchers camp will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 28 and from 1-3 p.m. on Dec. 29. The camp will be run by Taylor University assistant coach Rhett Goodmiller. The Major League Hitting Camp will be run by Houston Astros hitting coach John Mallee. The camp will last from 4-6:30 p.m. on Dec. 29 and from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 30. Space is limited for both camps. Register online at indianachargers.com. To get more information and ask questions, email inchargers@gmail.com or call (574) 264-0611.
Middle School Basketball DeKalb 8th graders top Garrett AP
Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec (31) of the Czech Republic makes a save as Winnipeg Jets center Olli Jokinen (12) of Finland
defends and New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) skates toward the goal in the second period in New York on Monday.
the Jets’ six-game road trip (3-1). Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Callahan
had goals for New York. Talbot made 25 saves.
THUNDER: Play Illinois Tech Sat. FROM PAGE B1
with a victory over Earlham College (63-51), but the team was coming off losses to Manchester University (67-61) and Heidelberg, Ohio (74-51). “We just have to stay focused and have to keep
battling every day at what we know we can do,” Miller said. Trine is on the road this Saturday and Sunday with afternoon games at Illinois Tech and Elmhurst (Ill.). The squad returns home on Dec. 14 to face North Park.
GARRETT — DeKalb’s eighth-grade boys basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 50-23 victory over Garrett on Monday night. Alec Brunson and Colin Goebel led the Patriots with eight points apiece. Boone Bacon and Logan Kruse each added seven points apiece for the Patriots while Jared Reutebuch had six points. Adam Ellert added four points with Troy Hickman and Jackson Pyck Hontz each adding a 3-point basket. Logan Petre and Marshall Beard finished the scoring with a basket each.
Patriots 7th boys rout Locomotives GARRETT — DeKalb’s seventh-graders also improved to 2-0 on the season with a 42-24 victory over Garrett Monday. Bryce Handshoe led the Patriots with eight points. Ben Christiansen, Cade Molargik, Kyle Dunham and Bailey Clark each chipped in six points apiece. Dalton Smith had five points while Spencer Whan and Luke Hansen added two points each. Tyler Stuckey made a free throw to finish the scoring for DeKalb.
DeKalb tops Fremont in 6th-grade tilt
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FREMONT — DeKalb won the first game in dominant fashion Monday night, going on the road to defeat Fremont, 59-8. Evan Ostrowski led the Patriots with 16 points while Caleb Nixon was right behind him with 15 points. Hoyt Stafford scored seven points, Kenlee Kruse had six points, Evan Eshbach had five points, Easton Rhodes and Carmin Rieke had four points each, and Karter Dick had two points. Fremont won the second game of the night, 27-25. Dick scored eight points, Lance Barnhart had seven points, Harrison Beard and Landon Spallinger both had four points, and Trevor Wineland had two points each.