Dick Angle has been around the block more than a few times. That’s what happens when you’ve coached 423 high school football games.
So, like E.F. Hutton from the old television spots, when the Missouri graduate, the head coach of the Howland Tigers, speaks, people listen.
After his playoff-tested squad pulled away from a 20-16 halftime edge to defeat the Lakeside Dragons on Thursday night in the season-opening game at Lakeside Stadium, the veteran coach could not say enough positive things about coach Ryan David and his Dragons, who hung tough midway through the third quarter.
“I think Lakeside showed a tremendous amount of improvement,” Angle, whose program made it seven-straight wins in the series since dropping the opener on its home turf in 2005, 20-14, in overtime. “It’s the best team we’ve played since we started this series eight years ago. I think (Lakeside) coach Ryan (David) has them going in the right direction. They play hard and never quit.”
Angle’s words spoke volumes and, yes, you can bet they were heard in Dragon Country.
“Coming from Coach Angle, it means the world to me,” David, the second-year Lakeside coach, said. “I have a high respect for him and I know he is a veteran at this game.
“When I read the words in black and white, I was able to know how he truly felt about our competition on Thursday night. My kids and staff took those words to heart.”
The 300
Finally!
It took five shots — including four last season — but the Riverside Beavers notched the 300th victory in the history of their football program with their 37-24 win against visiting Perry on Friday night at Riverside Stadium.
The achievement was not lost on Dave Bors, who just kicked off his third season at the helm of the Beavers.
“I think what’s significant about it is that there has been a lot of success at Riverside throughout the years, and we just want to add our own chapter,” the former West Geauga head coach said. “It’s definitely pretty neat to be here for the 300th victory, but in reality, our time here represents about two percent of those victories. Thus, virtually all the credit goes out to past players and coaches.”
Along those lines, the Riverside players and coaches received a visit from the man whose teams were responsible for 44.6 percent the 300 wins.
Don Andersen, who coached the Beaver gridders for 19 seasons (1982 through 2000) and piled up a record of 134-58-1 in that time, stopped by the Painesville Township campus.
“It was very apropos that the 300th victory occurred this week as we had a special visitor visit team practice on Thursday — coach Don Andersen,” Bors said. “He paid a visit to say hello and spoke to the boys for a moment before practice started.”
Bors said his everyone took notice.
“Getting a little talking to by the winningest coach in school history on the eve of the program’s potential 300th victory is always the kind of karma that we welcome, that’s for sure!” he said.
Andersen’s Riverside teams won Northeastern Conference championships in 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995 and a Premier Athletic Conference crown in 2000.
He took the Beavers to the playoffs in 1994, 1995 and 2000. His 1990 squad is the lone 10-0 team in Riverside history.
Riverside is in its 63rd season playing football, having kicked the program off with a 3-3 mark by coach Tony Thrasher’s squad in the fall of 1950.
The win Friday night moves Riverside to 300-297-14 all-time.
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