. .. .AND IN THIS CORNER,.*.* Mark Mihanovic Recruiting wars... ... Bo comes out winner TUST AS THE ROSE BOWL beam on Bo Schembechler's face begins fading away, the man is a big winner again. For the most part, the foot- ball recruiting wars are over. And Bo cleaned up. . Most of the state's top high school gridders signed national letters of intent Wednesday with the hope of wearing the Maize and Blue on some future Saturday, signalling that any of the luster that Michigan State had remaining from its successful 1978 season has completely dulled. But the fact that Schembechler out-recruited MSU's Muddy Waters in each of their home state won't raise any eyebrows. While Waters was in over his head trying to match wits with Big Ten opposition mentors on the field, the situation becomes laughable when he steps into the recruiting ring with Bo and the boys. What iseso impressive about the lastest crop of Wolverine football recruits is the fact that several of them hail out of the backyards of other traditional powerhouses. Like prep All-American running back Brian Mercer, who piled up 1,727 yards last season for Cincinnati's Forest Park High School, but somehow managed to escape the clutches of Ohio State coach Earle Bruce. And tight end Eric Kattus, another All-American from southern Ohio who caught 53 passes in his senior campaign. And All-American lineman Clay Miller, a 3.87 student out of Norman, Oklahoma (that's right, the same Nor- man, Oklahoma which Sooner coach Barry Switzer calls home). Even an outstanding recruiter like Schembechler must chalk this up as one of his better crops. Coming on the heels of his young squad's Cinderella comeback season, the outlook is extremely, ahem, rosy for the Michigan football program, next season and beyond. But nobody has ever doubted Bo's ability to bait top talent to Ann Arbor. He is a dogged recruiter, he hires assistants who are dogged recruiters, and it pays off with talented outfits, every year. There was a recent period when there were doubters, however. Michigan lost three straight to finish 1979 and dropped two out of three to start '80, and there were murmurs that maybe Bo's program was on the downslide. No way. Bo Schembechler has never won a national championship, but he is as stable as they come. That stability is bound to help him when he makes those promises coaches make to their recruits. For Rick Rogers, who garnered 1,352 yards on 184 carries and 23 touch- downs for Wayne Memorial High School, the final choice was between Michigan and MSU. Michigan got him. "He chose to go there because of the tremendous program," said Floyd Carter, Rogers' high school mentor. "It's a sound program. He probably felt that in four years, Bo will still be there. They (MSU) wanted him very badly. They said he would play as a freshman." But playing as a freshman at Michigan State obviously isn't as attractive to Rogers as watching the action for awhile at Michigan. Because at Michigan, he'll be watching in Pasadena. The Michigan Daily-Friday, February 20, 1981-Page11 leers fac e batt-less By MARTHA CRALL It shapes up on paper to be one of those classic bat- tles - red hot offense meets stingy defense. The offensive Michigan Wolverines (13-11-0 in the WCHA) and the defensive Denver Pioneers (15-7-2 in the WCHA) will each try to prove it has got the upper hand as they face off tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 at Yost Ice Arena in WCHA play. THE WOLVERINE ICERS are coming off two weekend sweeps of Notre Dame and the University of Minnesota-Duluth (at Duluth) and five straight wins.. The once-dormant Michigan offense has scored 42 goals during the winning streak, which has moved it up to within two points of fourth place in the con- ference. The Wolverines will be paced by WCHA player-of- BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN: the-week, Tim Manning (one goal, four assists, five points; 5-28-33 overall), Gordie Hampson (3-1-4; 13- 18-31 overall), Dennis May (2-2-4; 11-18-29 overall) and leading scorer, defenseman Steve Richmond (18- 30-48 overall). Head coach John Giordano will start goalie Paul Fricker, who picked up the 9-2 win in Friday night's game. Michigan will have to deal with a team that, while noted for its defense, is a well-balanced squad, especially on the power play. Denver, which is tied for first place in the league with Minnesota, ranks second in the WCHA in power play scoring (28-113, .248) while remaining the toughest to score a power- play goal against (21-133, .158). "THEY'VE GOT THE best penalty killing unit in the league," said Giordano. "They are very tough on defense all the time." Denver is led by junior goalie Scott Robinson, who is second in the league in goals/against average with 3.40. The Pioneers' leading scorer is sophomore winger Ken Berry (20-33-53), a former Canadian Olympic star. Denver suffered one major injury last week, losing its senior captain Gary Nedelak probably for the season with a dislocated shoulder. The Pioneers lost mostly leadership, however, as Nedelak had only four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 32 games. The Wolverines check in with no major injuries, accor- ding to Giordano. The Wolverines have only one more series left this season, which will also be played at Yost next weekend against arch-rival Michigan Tech. Tumblers By BARB BARKER The Michigan women's gymnastic's team, which currently holds fourth place in its conference, will compete tonight in the Big Ten chanpionships held at Ohio State. According to Michigan head coach Sheri Hyatt, Ohio State and Michigan State, which are ranked first and second respectively, will prove to be tough competition. "This is the first time in six years that Michigan State hasn't been ranked first going into championships," she said. "Both teams have been so strong this year that it will be tough for anyone to beat them." ; ee third "We really have our sights set upon beating Illinois for third place. I think we have a good chance considering we beat them in a meet already this season." Hyatt said that although everyone on the team is in top shape physically, they are rather drained mentally from mid- terms. Strong performances are expected by both all around competitors fresh- woman Kathy Beckwith and Junior Teresa Bertoncin. "We usually do well under pressure," said Hyatt. "And that's what makes points in the Big Tens." HAVE YOU CONSIDERED A CAREER IN MEDICINE? If you have, you probably know that most medical disciplines are now overcrowded. One notable exception is the field of podiatric medicine, where government forecasts continue to predict serious shortages of practitioners in the coming decades. For more information about a rewarding career in podiatric medicine and surgery, orthopedics, and sports medi- cine, contact your Health Professions Advisor or write: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES OF PODIATRIC MEDICINE BOX DM 20 CHEVY CHASE CIRCLE WASHINGTON, DC 20015 The application deadline for the 1981 entering class is April 1, 1981 TIMEL fY, YET TIMER ASS. BUY YOUR 1981 MICHIGANENSIAN NOW The MICHIGANENSIAN Yearbook is the best way to capture your years at Michigan. Let us help you remember the 1981 Rose Bowl and the 1980 Foot- ball, Basketball, Hockey, and Baseball seasons. Also included in this year's MICHIGANENSIAN are the various organizations, scenes from concerts, plays, and camus life, and this year's college graduates. Reserve your copy now for only $15 at the Student Publications Building, 420 Maynard. Limited Edition. Deadline March 6. Books available for pick-up in April. Add $2 for delivery. To reserve your copy of the 1981 MICHIGANENSIAN please send in this form with your payment, Thank you for your suppdrt. N4ame _Dot Ann Arbor Address Mailing Address Payment ($15.00) Mail Fe (2.00) Check Number ..sI 1.14 'I, , 1611W Now comes Miller time. 4 U