IBLEEDPURPLE
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PN-G's McLin basks in blocked kick
PORT NECHES -- Joe Biden, Sarah Palin and Ryan McLin know all about this sudden amount of overnight media attention. It's tough.
Those two Vice-Presidential candidates have adapted to excess exposure since they accepted new roles this summer. No thanks to a rude interrupton from Hurricane Ike, McLin's in the same league with them. Well, sort of.
This 6-4, 260-pound senior labored all through the 2007 football season as an offensive tackle starter. Nobody much made McLin important except his dad Lloyd, his mom Dolores and a few friends.
One moment of fame nearly three weeks ago changed all that. Joe Biden and Sarah Palin would relate. McLin blocked one extra-point kick and turned into quite an Indians hero. But it amounted to so much more than a mere extra point for PN-G and Crosby.
Crosby scored a touchdown with 31 seconds left, chopping PN-G's lead to 28-27 before Crosby's Sam Fowler lined up for a game-tying extra point kick. The 17-year-old McLin never blocked a kick during a practice either.
Yet Ryan moved to the front of this football program when his blocked PAT saved the day for PN-G.
Take away McLin's blocked kick and Crosby might have captured an overtime victory. Instead the Indians returned home 2-0 and McLin owned the right to choose whatever spot that he wanted on the busride back to The Reservation.
"You could have whatever seat you wanted," McLin said, recalling his briefly elevated status around the Indian Nation.
If an outsider thinks McLin gets to retain that lofty elevation as Emperor of PN-G's Empire, defensive tackles coach Mike Arnaud was last seen, shrinking the size of Ryan's head after McLin completed his media obligations prior to Wednesday afternoon's practice.
Such heroics rarely happen for an offensive line starter, but Ryan and teammate Jerin Spikes know how the other half lives when they move to defense. They have reporters asking all about their lives.
For example, McLin and his family evacuated to the north Dallas suburb of Lewisville on Sept. 11 but they also needed to head that way in order to attend an important wedding of sorts. Ryan's sister Lisa was getting married on Sept. 13.
McLin was a short drive away from Irving's Texas Stadium on Sept. 15 when the Dallas Cowboys played the Philadelphia Eagles.
McLin did not realize how much his fame mattered up there. As closely as Wade Phillips follows his high school alma mater (PN-G), the Cowboys coach likely could have found McLin a sideline pass for the game. Oh well, Ryan's just going to have to learn how to manipulate. For now, McLin remains too nice to be mean and manipulative.
"He's a fun kid, and I've enjoyed coaching him," offensive coordinator and offensive line boss Dan Welch said.
Too bad for Dan that he has to share guys such as Spikes and McLin with defensive line coaches Arnaud (tackles) and Terry Cobb (ends),
"We try not to play our offensive linemen (as defensive line regulars) if we can help it," Arnaud said, as Welch rolled his eyes to the Great Indian in the Sky.
McLin made sure to appoint fellow senior Stephen Savant as the unsung hero in this blocked extra-point scenario. Savant lined up in the A gap between the center and guard. He knocked over his man. That created enough room for McLin to zoom in from the B gap (between the guard and tackle) and get his hands up.
Now for the rest of the story. McLin thought for an instant that he had failed to block the kick. It upset him so much that he almost cried in frustration for a brief second until he noticed a team-wide celebration erupted toward the Indians' sideline.
"We were trying to jump through hard enough and I jumped as hard as I could," he recalled. "I was on the field about to cry. I knew I had hit the ball but I didn't know that I kept it from going through (the uprights)."
That's what stuff went through Ryan's mind before he became an overnight media celebrity. He knows what Joe Biden and Sarah Palin are experiencing. He's right there. He may have to sign autographs this afternoon by 1 o'clock.... before his press conference at 3 p.m.
INDIAN INKLINGS
Stadium workers and PNG-ISD officials reached a joint decision Wednesday that Indian Stadium would be able to serve as the host venue for PN-G's Oct. 10 home game against Livingston. Superintendent Dr. Lani Randall, high school principal Marc Keith, Tom Neild and Lewis Duval examined the stadium Wednesday afternoon with head coach Matt Burnett. A determination was reached that a very limited number of personnel could be allowed only in the bottom deck of the multi-tiered press box under construction at Indian Stadium. "The press box won't be fully functional and we will have to set up some tables and the jumbotron replay will not likely be available on the scoreboard, but the time clock, 25-second clock and down and distance portions of the board should be working," Burnett said. "It's good news for us.... The hurricane knocked us back but we didn't want to deprive the players from at least being able to play the game in their own stadium.".... Burnett indicated he had considered other home stadium options in the Golden Triangle (West Brook's Alex Durley Stadium and Port Arthur's Memorial Stadium) besides The Reservation.... Hurricane Ike's casualty toll on PN-G's athletic facilities appeared to be rather limited with the obvious visible exception of the softball stadium's outfield fence.... The Tribe resumes its schedule next Tuesday night with its 20-4A district opener at Little Cypress-Mauriceville. Kickoff is set for Bear Stadium at 7:30 p.m..... Indians returned to afternoon workouts Monday and looked quite sharp on Tuesday, according to Burnett... Only senior lineman Calyb Lewis (knee ligaments) keeps PN-G from opening its district schedule at full strength physically.
PORT NECHES -- Joe Biden, Sarah Palin and Ryan McLin know all about this sudden amount of overnight media attention. It's tough.
Those two Vice-Presidential candidates have adapted to excess exposure since they accepted new roles this summer. No thanks to a rude interrupton from Hurricane Ike, McLin's in the same league with them. Well, sort of.
This 6-4, 260-pound senior labored all through the 2007 football season as an offensive tackle starter. Nobody much made McLin important except his dad Lloyd, his mom Dolores and a few friends.
One moment of fame nearly three weeks ago changed all that. Joe Biden and Sarah Palin would relate. McLin blocked one extra-point kick and turned into quite an Indians hero. But it amounted to so much more than a mere extra point for PN-G and Crosby.
Crosby scored a touchdown with 31 seconds left, chopping PN-G's lead to 28-27 before Crosby's Sam Fowler lined up for a game-tying extra point kick. The 17-year-old McLin never blocked a kick during a practice either.
Yet Ryan moved to the front of this football program when his blocked PAT saved the day for PN-G.
Take away McLin's blocked kick and Crosby might have captured an overtime victory. Instead the Indians returned home 2-0 and McLin owned the right to choose whatever spot that he wanted on the busride back to The Reservation.
"You could have whatever seat you wanted," McLin said, recalling his briefly elevated status around the Indian Nation.
If an outsider thinks McLin gets to retain that lofty elevation as Emperor of PN-G's Empire, defensive tackles coach Mike Arnaud was last seen, shrinking the size of Ryan's head after McLin completed his media obligations prior to Wednesday afternoon's practice.
Such heroics rarely happen for an offensive line starter, but Ryan and teammate Jerin Spikes know how the other half lives when they move to defense. They have reporters asking all about their lives.
For example, McLin and his family evacuated to the north Dallas suburb of Lewisville on Sept. 11 but they also needed to head that way in order to attend an important wedding of sorts. Ryan's sister Lisa was getting married on Sept. 13.
McLin was a short drive away from Irving's Texas Stadium on Sept. 15 when the Dallas Cowboys played the Philadelphia Eagles.
McLin did not realize how much his fame mattered up there. As closely as Wade Phillips follows his high school alma mater (PN-G), the Cowboys coach likely could have found McLin a sideline pass for the game. Oh well, Ryan's just going to have to learn how to manipulate. For now, McLin remains too nice to be mean and manipulative.
"He's a fun kid, and I've enjoyed coaching him," offensive coordinator and offensive line boss Dan Welch said.
Too bad for Dan that he has to share guys such as Spikes and McLin with defensive line coaches Arnaud (tackles) and Terry Cobb (ends),
"We try not to play our offensive linemen (as defensive line regulars) if we can help it," Arnaud said, as Welch rolled his eyes to the Great Indian in the Sky.
McLin made sure to appoint fellow senior Stephen Savant as the unsung hero in this blocked extra-point scenario. Savant lined up in the A gap between the center and guard. He knocked over his man. That created enough room for McLin to zoom in from the B gap (between the guard and tackle) and get his hands up.
Now for the rest of the story. McLin thought for an instant that he had failed to block the kick. It upset him so much that he almost cried in frustration for a brief second until he noticed a team-wide celebration erupted toward the Indians' sideline.
"We were trying to jump through hard enough and I jumped as hard as I could," he recalled. "I was on the field about to cry. I knew I had hit the ball but I didn't know that I kept it from going through (the uprights)."
That's what stuff went through Ryan's mind before he became an overnight media celebrity. He knows what Joe Biden and Sarah Palin are experiencing. He's right there. He may have to sign autographs this afternoon by 1 o'clock.... before his press conference at 3 p.m.
INDIAN INKLINGS
Stadium workers and PNG-ISD officials reached a joint decision Wednesday that Indian Stadium would be able to serve as the host venue for PN-G's Oct. 10 home game against Livingston. Superintendent Dr. Lani Randall, high school principal Marc Keith, Tom Neild and Lewis Duval examined the stadium Wednesday afternoon with head coach Matt Burnett. A determination was reached that a very limited number of personnel could be allowed only in the bottom deck of the multi-tiered press box under construction at Indian Stadium. "The press box won't be fully functional and we will have to set up some tables and the jumbotron replay will not likely be available on the scoreboard, but the time clock, 25-second clock and down and distance portions of the board should be working," Burnett said. "It's good news for us.... The hurricane knocked us back but we didn't want to deprive the players from at least being able to play the game in their own stadium.".... Burnett indicated he had considered other home stadium options in the Golden Triangle (West Brook's Alex Durley Stadium and Port Arthur's Memorial Stadium) besides The Reservation.... Hurricane Ike's casualty toll on PN-G's athletic facilities appeared to be rather limited with the obvious visible exception of the softball stadium's outfield fence.... The Tribe resumes its schedule next Tuesday night with its 20-4A district opener at Little Cypress-Mauriceville. Kickoff is set for Bear Stadium at 7:30 p.m..... Indians returned to afternoon workouts Monday and looked quite sharp on Tuesday, according to Burnett... Only senior lineman Calyb Lewis (knee ligaments) keeps PN-G from opening its district schedule at full strength physically.
