Unbeaten Warren up next for Indians

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Today at 11 a.m., the eyes of not only Sleepy Eye but the area will be focused on the Metrodome as the Sleepy Eye High Indians try to cap what has been a dream season when they tangle with Warren-Alvarado-Oslo for the 2000 Class 1A football crown.

The Indians, under coach Dean Deibele, enter the title game with an 11-2 mark while the Pioneers put a 13-0 season record on the line.

"We know that they come from a strong conference (Six Star) and football section (Section 8-1A)," commented Deibele, who is in his 13th season. "It seems like that section has always been dominant for quite a while so we know that whoever comes out of that section is a very good football team."

The Ponies beat Browerville in their first Dome game last week "and they (Browerville) looked like they were the better team," he said. "But Warren found a way to win the game in the fourth quarter."

Deibele said that the Ponies "do a lot of things really well. They run some power and have some good speed and play a solid defense. They use a 4-4 which is similar to us."

On offense, the Ponies run an I-formation "with an off-set fullback," according to Deibele. "They will run some motion with a little bit of an option. They mix up their offense quite a bit. Their quarterback earlier in the year has now been moved to a different position and they try some things with him like a halfback pass. ... They do have some trick plays that we will have to be ready for. Overall, they are a very solid team offensively and defensively. They are a ball-control team."

The Ponies starting quarterback, Jordan Aakre, is just a sophomore "but he is very good but they have that little bit of inexperience there."

In fact, the Ponies are similar to the Indians in that they are a very young team with only five seniors dotting their roster.

"I do think that team speed will be an advantage to us, especially on the artificial turf," said Deibele.

"We did a lot of conditioning this week because we wore down fast last game in the Dome," Deibele said. "We have the experience of playing in the Dome. It does get very warm on the field; it is warmer on the field than in the stands. Playing outside, we got used to the cool weather. But now we have to take in a lot of water."

Deibele said fan support "was great for the last game."

What will Deibele tell his players just prior to the start of their contest?

"I'll tell them to just go out and enjoy every second of the game," he said. "This is just a high school football game. We are playing for a state title but we want to be loose and have fun."

Meanwhile, Ponies coach Scott Doss, in his sixth season with Warren, said that his team "is a zone-offense type of team. We are pretty straight ahead and zone most of our stuff. We are a tailback-oriented offense. We like to run the ball. ... That is our bread and butter.

"I think that most of the teams that are left are teams that like to run the ball and do run it well."

Doss said his program reached the state playoffs in 1991 and got beat in the quarterfinals. "We have had two 10-1 teams here so this is our best team record-wise."

Doss said the Six Star Conference and Section 8-1A "is strong. We have Fertile-Beltrami, Red Lake Falls. Traditionally, Hawley is a strong team that plays 2A football. We are a strong conference and section."

Last year, the Pioneers were beaten by Fertile-Beltrami in the sectional semifinals.

Doss said his team "is not real big. Up front, we probably average 180 pounds. Speed-wise, we have good athletes."

Doss said his final words to his players will be "48 minutes of football and a lifetime of memories because they have these 48 minutes to base on what they will remember for the rest of their life."