Cooper "hotter, better" second time around

By LANCE FLEMING / Staff Writer

Larry Dippel and the Amarillo Sandies have just won the 34th District 3-5A title in school history, and their reward for that is a game against District 4-5A's hottest team.

The Sandies will put their 8-1-1 record on the line Friday night in a bi-district matchup against Cooper, which brings a 7-3 mark into the game. The Cougars have won four in a row, including a victory over Odessa Permain.

Amarillo High already owns a win over Cooper this season, 31-28 back on Oct. 4. Dippel, however, will tell you that Cooper is a much better team now than it was then.

"When we played them I thought they were a good team," Dippel said. "Their execution is better now, though, and their underclassmen have gotten better. Offensively they are extremely explosive."

This rematch was sealed when the Sandies upset Lubbock Coronado, 37-13, earlier in the season and then whipped Lubbock Monterey, 28-7, last week to clinch the district title.

The 34th district title in school history (which led to the school's 37th playoff appearance since 1922) was an unexpected title since the Sandies graduated several key players from last year's team. Coronado was the pick to win the district with Amarillo High battling Monterey for second place in the league race.

But the Sandies used their power running game and a stingy defense to beat both those teams and claim the district championship.

"We came into the season a little bit underrated, but I think that helped us," Dippel said. "We wanted to prove we were better than what we were picked. I'm optimistic, as all coaches are. I thought if things went right, we could end up with a pretty good football team."

The Sandies haven't lost since a 35-14 setback to Odessa Permian on Sept. 20, although they did tie Amarillo Tascosa, 14-14, the week after they beat Cooper. However, they weren't tested in district outside of that game.

Amarillo is also a little different than the normal team out of District 3-5A in that it actually owns some wins over District 4-5A opponents in the playoffs.

Since 1985, Amarillo is 4-6 against 4-5A, including a 21-17 win over Cooper in the 1992 bi-district round at Jones Stadium in Lubbock. That was the same year the Sandies also beat Permian (10-7) on their way to the state semifinals.

The Sandies have also beaten San Angelo Central (52-22 in 1990) and Midland Lee (14-0 in 1986) in the playoffs. However, five of the Sandies' six losses to 4-5A teams since 1985 have been against Midland Lee (1985, '87 and '93-95).

Dippel believes that Amarillo's success against 4-5A teams in the playoffs stems from the fact that the Sandies usually schedule one or two 4-5A teams in the regular season.

"We've played them in non-conference more than some other teams up here," Dippel said. "We've gotten more opportunities against those teams, and that always helps. Our non-district schedule &emdash; with games against Permian and Cooper - helped us a lot."

The Sandies spread the ball around to five different ballcarriers who all have more than 236 yards rushing on the season. The leader of the group is Ricky Hill with 475 yards and four touchdowns on 119 carries.

Following him are Jason Edwards (436 and 4 on 81), Austin Price (303 and 6 on 80), Johnny Johnson (274 and 2 on 41) and Hobert Kilgore (236 and 3 on 15).

Amarillo High has run for 1,780 yards on the season, while throwing for 1,189 yards.

In the earlier game against Cooper, the Sandies ran the ball 49 times for 225 yards with Edwards leading the way with 85 yards.

On defense, the Sandies are their usual stingy selves against the run.

They've allowed just 1,109 rushing yards against them, and held the Cougars to a paltry 60 yards on the ground. Of course, Cooper was in a comeback mode most of the second half after falling behind 31-14 and was forced to throw.

Still, the Sandies limited Dominic Rhodes to 74 yards, the last time he's failed to crack at least 85 yards rushing this season.

Leading the Amarillo defense is lineman Josh Auzenne, who has 84 tackles, including 17 for losses. Defensive back Matt Brewton has 86 tackles, including 13 for a loss and linebacker Brandon Gollihugh has 85 tackles, including five for a loss.

It has all left Cooper head coach Randy Allen more than a little impressed with the Sandies.

"I'm one of their most vocal supporters," he said of the Sandies. "Whenever we've played them - be it in 1992 or this season - they've played with intensity and are very well-coached.

"Their offensive line has really gotten better as the season has gone on," Allen said. "When we played them earlier this season, they just pounded us, so we have to be ready for a physical ballgame."