DeBaker taking leadership role

By Pete Jackel

Wednesday, November 8, 2006 2:09 AM CST

When Carthage College football coach Tim Rucks first sat down with Tom DeBaker during a recruiting visit at Case High School in the spring of 2005, he was amiable, yet direct.

Like nearly everyone else entering the college level, Rucks explained, DeBaker would have to wait his turn. If he was expecting instant gratification at Carthage, DeBaker was probably going to be disappointed.

And then came Carthage's season-opening game against Carroll at Waukesha the evening of Sept. 3, 2005. Fans had hardly settled into their seats when DeBaker pulled on his helmet, fastened his chin strap and jogged onto the field to replace left cornerback Chris Govan, who had just suffered what proved to be a season-ending concussion.

"I was watching the game on the sideline, I saw him go down and I heard my name called," DeBaker said. "I was kind of wowed by it at first, but as soon as I got in there, I just had to play football. I couldn't think about anything else anymore."

If he did, he might have been overwhelmed.

Carthage employs a defensive scheme in which man-to-man coverage is played almost exclusively, meaning DeBaker was placed on an island just minutes into his first college game. Furthermore, he was expected to plug a gaping hole on what was a defense that ranked among the top five at the NCAA Division III level the previous season.

"It's unusual, especially considering we were a championship-type defense, one of the top defenses in the country," Rucks said. "You always see some freshmen that come in, break a lineup and all that kind of stuff, but on the defense we had at the time, it's very, very, very unusual."

DeBaker ended up starting his entire freshman season, half of which he played with a broken right hand that was heavily bandaged. This season, he picked up where he left off last season, intercepting three passes and getting burned for only two touchdown passes (the same number he allowed as a freshman).

How did DeBaker make such a rapid progression? Start with the fact he is a gifted athlete, starting for three years in football at Case and helping the Eagles' basketball team to the WIAA Division 1 Tournament as a sweet-shooting left-handed guard.

But with that ability is a work ethic that quickly caught the eyes of Rucks and his staff.

"He came in as a freshman and competed like heck," Rucks said. "A lot of times, you see freshmen say, `Well, I'm just a freshman,' but his expectations for himself were so high that he came in here and went after it right away instead of just saying, `I'm a freshman, it's a good defense' and that type of thing."

And after DeBaker defied the odds to become a starter, he hardly settled into a comfort zone.

"He commutes back and forth and, once he's at school in the morning, he's here all day and he uses all his time to watch film, hang around the coaches' offices ... he brings a great deal of spirit to our team and he's a part of our character and a part of who we are," Rucks said.

"You'd never think that kid's a sophomore. You'd think he's a senior leader."

Fourteen months have passed since DeBaker made his first appearance under fire and he is in danger of losing his job at left cornerback. But that's only because DeBaker has been so impressive for the 6-3 Red Men that Rucks said there is a chance he will be moved next fall to SAM linebacker, which is the featured position on the Red Men's defense.

DeBaker played that position for the first time in a 52-3 loss to Wheaton last Saturday (he suffered a jammed neck in the game and may not play this week against North Central in a season-ending game at Naperville, Ill.), setting the stage for the 2007 season.

"I think he might end up at SAM linebacker," Rucks said. "He's gotten a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger. The SAM linebacker is also a cover guy, but instead of being on the No. 1 guy, he's on the No. 2.

"To be honest, the SAM linebacker is the premier position on our defense. That's the guy who gets all the stats. He gets the sacks, he gets the interceptions ... our defense revolves around the SAM linebacker position."

While earning first-team All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin honors might be unrealistic this season for DeBaker, Rucks said, it's well within the realm of possibility in 2007 and `08.

"He better be an All-Conference player for us," Rucks said. "I would expect that."

Reid Oldenburg (Burlington) who edged Johnny Clay for All-Racine County Player of the Year honors in 2004, is a sophomore running back for UW-La Crosse. On Oct. 28, he had a reunion with former high school teammates Kevin Stenson and Nate Newholm when La Crosse played UW-Stout.

"It was great being on the same field as Kevin Stenson and Nate Newholm again," Oldenburg said.

"Although I really didn't enjoy the large amount of turf burn I got on my arms. I don't know how people practice on that old turf. The only good thing was it played very fast and that was a lot of fun.

"At Stout I started on four special teams - kickoff, kick return, punt return and field goal. I felt I had another great week on kickoff. I had another solo and an assist. It was fun flying around. After the game (which La Crosse won 30-14), I talked to Kevin and Nate for quite awhile."

Running back Ross Wiemer (Burlington) has appeared in all 10 games for Valparaiso (2-8, 1-6 Pioneer Football League) and has rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns on three carries.

"So far, life has been pretty good here," said Wiemer, who ranked second to Johnny Clay of Park among the leading rushers in Racine County last season. "The team chemistry is a lot of fun to interact with, but, unfortunately, we haven't played up to our potential."

Punter/kicker Tyler Funk (Horlick) is red-shirting as a freshman this season at Illinois State.

"About halfway through camp, they thought it would be better if they changed my steps and my drop," Funk said. "They said they wanted to redshirt me and get me a little bigger and work on the drop more."

Volleyball Amanda Berkley (Park) has enjoyed quite a ride while playing for Wisconsin, which is ranked 10th in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Berkley, who walked on as a freshman but has since earned a scholarship, ranks fifth on the Badgers in digs with 135.

"It has been a ton of fun playing for such a great team," Berkley said.

"I am so thankful to be on this team and to actually be playing. It's a dream come true.

"I think what makes being on this team a thrill is the crowd. We rank second in attendance in the nation. Our crowd is amazing. Just playing with some of the elite players in the nation is awesome."

Baseball James Ricchio (Case), a left-handed pitcher for Central Michigan, was named the school's recipient of the Bill Boyden Leadership Award. The award is for letterwinners who will be entering their final year of eligibility. The award "singles out that senior-to-be of satisfactory academic standing whose record best combines participation in varsity intercollegiate sport with leadership ability in campus affairs and activities, interests or accomplishments in the arts and community involvement," a statement released by the school said.

Women's tennis Julie Tellefsen (St. Catherine's) of UW-La Crosse was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week in mid October after defeating Kristie Carlson of UW-Eau Claire 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 singles.

Tellefson was 10-4 in singles play, including 6-0 at No. 3 in WIAC matches.

Tellefsen went on to win the conference championship at No. 3 singles with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Kara Theis of UW-Whitewater.

Soccer Tim Jeanson of Racine, who played for Milwaukee Heritage Christian High School, is a senior midfielder for Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill. One of his highlights this fall was scoring two goals in Trinity International's 5-1 victory over Robert Morris Oct. 7. Trinity International is 10-5.

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