Eagles making progress

CHADRON – Chadron State College's first week of football practices have gone well, the coaches report.
The Eagles have about 125 players on the roster, making it one of the largest squads in Chadron State history. It includes 51 lettermen and 55 freshmen. Both numbers are also higher than usual.
Head coach Jay Long said he's pleased with the way the fall camp has gone. He said nearly all the veterans reported in excellent physical condition and added that the freshmen "are understanding things better every day."
"We've been working hard and getting better all the time," Long said. "We had a good day again on Monday. We were in full pads for the first time and had a controlled scrimmage in which we ran 38 plays."
The Eagles will have another controlled scrimmage Saturday morning starting around 10 a.m. Long said the team will run 38 plays.
Offensive coordinator Chris Stein, now in his 12th season as a CSC coach, likes the Eagles' potential. He said a number of the veterans rank with the best players in the school's history.
"We're a little shy of depth in places, but we have a lot of great players," Stein said. "If we can stay healthy and get a few breaks, we'll do all right. We had the ball bounce our way a few times when we had those great teams a few years ago. That always helps."
Offensively, Stein said the Eagles are strong at quarterback and tailback, have an excellent receiving corps and will have a solid offensive line, particularly if the veterans can avoid injuries.
Stein said it's also a plus that tailback Dominic Morris has been cleared by doctors to play again this year.
Morris, who has gained 993 yards on 182 carries for a 5.5-yard average the past two seasons, suffered a traumatic injury in the Eagles' game against Angelo State last fall. He was knocked out late in the third quarter, collapsed as he was being helped to the bench, was flown by helicopter to Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain.
Much to everyone's relief, he recovered quickly and decided several months ago to use his final year of eligibility.
"Dom is a really outstanding tailback, as everyone knows," Stein said. "The fact that he's back helps make us really strong at running back to go with guys like Glen Clinton and Michael Madkins. They're all good, but they have different styles and are different sizes."
Defensive coordinator Jeff Larson said he's been impressed by many things the players on his unit have been doing.
"We've shown a lot of energy, the players are flying around getting after people and they seem to like to hit," Larson noted. "I also think we have good speed in the places where we need to be (fast)."
The Eagles don't have a lot of depth in the defensive line, but Larson said the fact that senior Tau Ho Ching, who has battled injuries the past two years, remained in Chadron during the summer, worked out regularly and reported in excellent condition "is a huge plus."
Larson added that a Californian, Olufemi Aaron, appears ready to help at defensive end. Aaron is 6-4, 230 pounds and has long arms, the coach said.
Larson noted that the freshmen have a steep learning curve, but they are becoming more familiar with the Eagles' system every day.
"They'll finally get it figured out," he said. "We've been concentrating on teaching them our base defense and they're working hard to learn."
Much of the recruiting was handled by Stein and fellow assistant Craig Jersild while the Eagles were without a head coach and before Long was hired to fill that spot.
Stein said he felt the Eagles "had some depth issues" that needed to be addressed and that's why the freshman numbers are higher than usual.
"We tried to find some really good athletes and I think we did," Stein said.
During the summer after Long had become involved, several more freshmen were added to the newcomer list.
The Eagles will open the season at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 30 against Montana State in Bozeman.

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