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Ready for Some Football? Dusters ready to train By Greg Rohloff The Amarillo Dusters, under new head coach Chris MacKeown, are looking for a fresh start when the team heads to camp on Friday. The first cuts will be made on March 11 ahead of the team going for a preseason game against Spokane at Yakima, Wash., on March 20. The game is in preparation for the March 29 season opener at defending league champions Tulsa. Spokane is favored by some league coaches as the league's top team this year, MacKeown said Monday at a news conference. When the league offered him a choice of the opening game at Tulsa, MacKeown latched onto it as a situation in which the Dusters could only gain, regardless of the game's outcome. Playing well in those two games would give the young team the confidence that it can compete in AF2, whether the team wins or loses those games. The goal this year is to build throughout the year and finish strongly with an eye on making the playoffs, he said. That task was made a little more difficult when Dwayne Slay, a standout defensive back at Texas Tech two years ago and a rookie with the Chicago Bears last year before an injury ended his season, signed a contract with the Canadian Football League Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Slay had been expected to lead the defense, but now that task may fall to linebacker Dennis Thornton, MacKeown said. "I didn't think we'd have him very long when we signed him," MacKeown said. He explained that such advancements will help the team attract better players. Only three players from last year will be with the team as it takes physical exams Friday, MacKeown said. Defensive back Aaron Williams, receiver/defensive back Craig Fulton Jr. and kicker Jacob Felton will be back. Additionally, receiver Steve Bergeski, who was cut in tryouts for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League, has indicated he will return to Amarillo. The first on-field practice will be Saturday at Bushland High School, he said. Practices will continue at the Amarillo Civic Center. Five players from the 35-player preseason roster will be cut on March 11. The final cut to 22 players will be made March 24. The Dusters and starting quarterback Steve Panella parted ways after last season. Robert Johnson, a wide receiver at Texas Tech two years ago, has signed. Last year in the European football league, he played quarterback, a position he played in high school and junior college. He will compete for the starting position with Joel Steele, a three-year veteran with the Louisville Fire, MacKeown said. "You can never have enough good quarterbacks," he said. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: March 6, 2008
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