CAIRO HOPES UNPROVEN LINES HOLD

Cairo (Ill.) High School football coach Ron Woods makes no bones about where the key to the Pilots' 1999 season lies.

Woods believes his squad has the speed at the skill positions to match up with any team on the schedule. But can the Pilots block anybody?

"It's going to be an interesting year," said Woods. "We've got some kids returning with a lot of speed. We've got more team speed this year than we've had in about three years.

"But we only return one lineman. I think our skill people can match up with anybody. The key will be if we can get somebody to block."

If that happens, Woods think the Pilots could improve considerably on last year's 1-8 record.

"If things break right, we could be all right and end up winning five, six, even seven games," he said. "But the key is the line. It depends on how we play up front."

Hurting Cairo, which opens the new season Friday night at home against Carterville, is the fact that of five academically ineligible players who would have been key returnees, four were linemen.

First, for the good part regarding the Pilots. Woods definitely likes his backfield, led by senior quarterback Darius Wells, who makes up for what he lacks in size -- he's 5-feet-8 and 160 pounds -- in heart and determination. Wells threw for more than 800 yards last year.

"He's just a super competitor," Woods said. "He's got so much heart."

Senior tailback Ronell Spearman, also diminutive at 5-8 and 145, enters his third season as a starter. Also returning in the backfield are senior Jamie Holley and 195-pound fullback Brandon Harris.

Others who figure to see action in the backfield are sophomores Alpha Gordon and Rasheed Cusler.

The top wide receiver is sleek sophomore Byron Wright (6-3, 185), who was fourth in the long jump at the state track meet as a freshman and is drawing rave reviews from Woods.

"He's the next great athlete out of Cairo," said Woods of Wright. "We have to get him the ball."

Sophomore Detrick Williams is another promising wide receiver while junior tight end John Williams is also a threat.

As for the line, it will certainly be big enough, probably averaging in the 240-pound range.

"We can put a nice size line on the field, but I don't know if they'll know what they're doing," said Woods. "But they're working real hard. They just haven't played much before."

The only lineman with any varsity experience is senior Grant Gaurdner (240), who has played the last two years.

Other linemen, all relatively inexperienced and several in their first season of football, are juniors Dione Berry (260 pounds), Colt Wood (240) and David McNeely (265); and sophomores Scott Porsche (260), Lee Ivy (190) and Isaac Simelten (160).

Defensively, most of the aforementioned players will play both ways. Wells is a returning all-conference linebacker while Harris, Gordon, Williams, Spearman and Holley are other top defenders.

"We'll be quick on defense," Woods said. "They might beat us up, but they won't run away from us."