European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 27, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Girls a sans pompous a dance jump and shout their a go eagles cheers the words echoing through the hallway. Game week has begun. Tuesday 2 18 . Frankfurt highs Halls arc brutally quiet save for the janitor who slashes a wet mop across the linoleum floor. The students arc tucked away in classrooms except for Toth who is teaching the Art and Craft of softball to a gym class outside. With the video of the Pitburg football game still in the mail Toth has time for philosophizing. Inside his cramped office that probably was used As a janitors closet in another life Toth dears a chair and sits. Framed pictures of his travails As a coach with Giessen High and photographs of his Eagle teams line the Walls along with a sign a Home a work causes brain a the Only Way you can stand it is to put pictures on the Walls a Toth jokes As he pushes a pile of Black game jerseys out of the Way and pulls a Green Apple and a bag of microwave Popcorn from his briefcase. A i look at these Walls and i think of the people not the teams they played on a he says. A a there a More to being a High school athlete than preparation for a High school football game. You gotta look Good feel Good. That Why i would never let my team walk out onto a football Field in rag tag uniforms. If i have to ill bring Mem Home to have my wife sew Mem up. And she has after the 3 15 . Bell the players flock to the locker room to slip into their body Armor and head to the practice Field. A a today a Gonna be a great Day to practice a senior linebacker John Iosefo proclaims As his cohorts trudge past. A i just Hope we get something done today. But you can Tell some of Mem done to Wanna be Here. Its like school on a monday Toth walks out of the locker room. The players shuffle to form some semblance of a huddle. After a Short speech about a not looking Back a they re sent off to run laps. Thus begins the tuesday football practice from hell a chock full of calisthenic offensive patterns and tackling drills. Wednesday 3 41 .1 the Heidelberg Lions arrive in Tothy a office packaged neatly in a Plain Brown wrapper. A a they la need to watch the video at least three More times before they can really get a Good look at Heidelberg a Toth says As he emerges from the eagles locker room. Initiative is the word of the Day. Toth order his players to a take a knee this Day. The captains gather the players and take the prescribed position As Toth walks to the Field. The Progress reports arc in he tells his troops. A out of 45 Guys there re Only about three that in a worried about. You got a few More weeks to get rid of those a Dsa and the pre practice Lap takes on a spirit of its own. Wednesday is special teams and defense Day not one of the More popular practice sessions for the boys but a necessary evil players such As Sidney Lamora a defensive Back Hope will pay dividends against the Lions offence. Even Toth admits the defensive drills Arentt the most exciting practices of the week. Quot i like to get that offence out there run those calisthenic pass without incident though a Low grumble can be heard in the last rank. Pass defense is next and Toth does no to like what he secs. John Iosefo is out of position playing the wide receiver too liberally. A Siosefo How Many interceptions do you have this year a a none with a chuckle Toth Points the senior linebacker to the prescribed place. A what these boys saw today just looked like a football game to them a Toth admits. A today they just watched a movie. Well look at it a few Sas Kan Gaorge Mike Logan listens to his coach Charlie Toth during workouts at Frankfort High school. Sas Kan Gorga top Eddie Felix tunes in while the eagles bus to Heidelberg. Above Frankfurt practices getting off the Ball. More times before a Lazy defensive Back has Toth peeved. A who taught you to play football with your hands on your Knees a Toth asks As he bends at the Waist and rests his hands Over his Kneecaps. A did coach Toth teach you that the Content of the videotape weighs heavy on several players minds. The slackers Are met with jeers from the veterans who scream a a today san important Day of practice. Lets get with a a Heidelberg a running everything the same As last year a says Nighbert who follows his by Dofher Shawn As the second straight Nighbert to take snaps from a Frankfurt Center. A they run a lot of up the Middle stuff. We did no to see much of their defense but Well throw. We will throw on thursday 9 01 . The eagles receive the kiss of death this morning. The stars and stripes picks Frankfurt by five Points Over the Lions despite the intangibles of a Sas Kan Gorga Eagle moms Tubi Lealofi and Edna Valentine Root for their favorite boys. Homecoming week that will Stoke Heidelberg. Toth warns his team about getting big Heads but whether it sinks in is a matter of conjecture. The answer will come during the first Quarter of saturday s game. A a they re Gonna want it More. A lot More Quot Lamora says of the Lions. A we have to realize we want it too. We re beatable just like they Are. I he fans and the hype it does no to really matter. Its All Gonna depend on if we re ready Lor the game or Iosefo predicts a a we re just Gonna crush pm. Inside the school cafeteria where just Days earlier the players tackled Sticky algebra problems pondered the theories of cellular biology and snowballed their Way through the obligatory High school examination essay question the eagles cheerleaders kick jump hop and bark out cheers. To minus two Das. Until ecu on / age october 27, 1991 sunday a Page 5
