Another article on Coeburn and one of D. Wells...

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

http://www.register-herald.com/articles/2005/06/17/sports/2coeburn.txt

 

Quarterback Coeburn's calling card? Just win, baby

By Dave Morrison, Sports Editor

 

INSTITUTE - Rusty Coeburn lost his first start at quarterback for the Bluefield Beavers.

 

Add another cliché to the scrap heap. First impressions aren't always right because that 21-20 loss to Oak Hill was not a harbinger of things to come.

 

In fact, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound signalcaller rarely lost after getting his feet wet in that late September start. He finished with a sterling 34-4 record and capped his career by leading the Beavers to the Class AA state championship. Half his losses were to Poca in the state title game his sophomore and junior seasons.

 

He'll suit up on the prep gridiron one more time Saturday by splitting reps at quarterback with Nitro quarterback Mike Will-iams in the annual North-South All-Star Football Classic at Laidley Field in Charleston.

 

"The kid is just a winner," said Wayne coach Tommy Harmon, the South coach who watched Coeburn lead the Beavers to a 69-24 state championship win in December. Coeburn went 9-of-16 for 121 yards and two touchdowns. "When you look at his career, all he has done is win."

 

Coeburn passed for over 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior and for his career he completed just a tad under 60 percent of his passes.

 

His calling card, though, is those wins.

 

"For me the numbers weren't as important as winning games," Coeburn said. "We have a history of winning football games at Bluefield. Our pride is in the wins, not our individual numbers."

 

Like a quasi Lou Gehrig story, Coeburn replaced injured I.V. Sudduth as a sophomore and never left the lineup, going 9-2 as a sophomore, 11-2 as a junior and 14-0 as a senior.

 

Coeburn has occasionally wondered what would have happened if the scenario hadn't allowed him to start as a sophomore. Would it have been different?

 

"Possibly," Coeburn said. "I could have still been tight end until my senior year. So I guess I got lucky to get in there when I did. I just let God take care of things. He has a path set for me so I really don't worry about things."

 

Still, coach Freddie Simon saw enough to know he had a winner in Coe-burn.

 

"We didn't have anybody else, to be honest," Coe-burn said. "I was the backup and I was fortunate to go out and play well. I was surrounded by a lot of great players during my career and that made it easy."

 

Baseball was Coeburn's first love.

 

That is, until he reached high school. To be the man in Bluefield, football had to be your sport of preference.

 

"Baseball's really not big in Bluefield like football is," Coeburn said. "So football took over. And it's got me to where I am right now."

 

Coeburn will attend West Virginia Wesleyan this fall.

 

"It's a good fit for me," Coeburn said. "I like the coaches, I like the system and I like the school. I'm looking forward to getting my college career started."

 

After going 14-0, Coe-burn is hoping to go out on a winning note Saturday.

 

"I just like the fact that we get to meet new people from around the state and hang out with them and have fun," Coeburn said. "Come Saturday we'll hopefully play as a team and win the game."

 

It's a subject he knows well.

 

- E-mail: Demorrison@

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

http://www.bdtonline.com/articles/2005/06/17/sports/02friwells.txt

 

Wells anxious to lay down a clean tackle

Posted: Thursday, Jun 16, 2005 - 10:40:19 pm EDT

By DUSTY HARMAN

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

 

CHARLESTON - Daniel Wells has had the itch for a while now.

 

The former Bluefield Beaver said he has waited far too long to get back on the football field and lay a clean tackle on somebody.

 

Thanks to Saturday's North-South All-Star Classic, Wells won't have to wait much longer to get his wish.

 

"I can't wait to get to hit again at the high school level," Wells said. "I' ve been itching for a long time just to hit. I'm just wanting to get out there, talk a little trash, have a little fun, and have a competitive occasion again on the high school level."

 

Wells will join Beaver teammate Rusty Coeburn on the sidelines for the South in Saturday's clash, which will take place at Charleston's Laidley Field. For Wells, competing against the state's top athletes is a chance to answer any self-doubt about his skills.

 

"A lot of my time during high school I spent questioning myself," Wells said. "You think, 'Well am I as good as this guy?' This game really gives you a chance to prove yourself to yourself.

 

"I'm really looking forward to the competition and playing with all the guys from different teams."

 

Since helping lead Bluefield to the 2004 state championship, Wells has been working out in preparation for a run at a collegiate career. He's 10 pounds heavier than his prep playing weight, but has developed a quicker step to go with it.

 

The 6-foot-1, 235-pounder hopes all the work culminates in a spot with the Marshall University Thundering Herd.

 

"I'm planning to walk on at Marshall," Wells said. "I'm hoping to get to play. I'm praying about that right now."

 

Starting over with a new program isn't a problem for Wells - he welcomes the chance to continue his development.

 

"I'm ready to go up there and start my work and start all over again," he said.

 

Wells will have some familiar faces to work with in Huntington, though he usually saw most of them on opposing sidelines. Former Graham G-Men Ahmad Bradshaw and Paco Jones and Princeton products Will Albin and Anthony Hayes are already members of the Herd.

 

"It's going to be different being on the same team as those guys," Wells said. "But it'll be good, it'll be fun. I'll still talk a little bit of trash though."