SOUR GRAPES
By JIM MAGDEFRAU

Let’s take some time to honor some good Bobcats.

First off, this Friday night former Benton coach Darrell Schumacher will receive the Iowa Football Coaches Association “Coaching with Character” award. “Shu” coached with Reese Morgan years ago at Benton, then moved on to coach at several other schools, taking four different schools to the football playoffs. He is now at Oskaloosa. He’s a big man with a big voice that could be heard throughout Van Horne in the early morning football practices in August, punctuated with the phrase “Holy Cow!”

Also being honored this Friday is Don Logan, longtime assistant coach at Benton, who volunteers now on the football field after his retirement. He will be honored as the Class 3A assistant coach of the year.

Finally, we heard school to some kids might seem like prison. Well, friend to this newspaper and the school Marv Bell, who taught for decades at Benton, is now teaching in a prison just outside of his hometown of Maryville, Mo.

Mr. Bell relates about the students he is helping, “Some are serious about getting their GED; some are only semi-serious, and others just put in their time. I treat them with respect and get respect in return.”

He added, “They like having an older male “grandpa” teacher. I have gotten several of them to get more serious about their GED studies. They lack success in life and in education.”

Mr. Bell can also “BS” with the best of them, as he does with the prisoners on cars, sports, music and life in general.

He also said he likes that he has no dances to chaperone, or at least I hope they don’t have dances.

All is well with Mr. Bell. If you really want to have him as a teacher again, you’ll have to do time in Missouri

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Iowa State. Bowl game.

We’re still trying to merge those two concepts. It looks like it will be a fun winter bowl season with post-season action for both the Cyclones and Hawkeyes.

It’s also been fun following the Wartburg Knights this fall. They have a great facility, fans, coaches and kids. Division III football doesn’t have the traffic, costs and expenses of big-time football, but the football is just as good, the hits are just as hard and kids and coaches are there for the love of the game.

Plus, when you throw in a free bowl of Nadine’s famous chili at Joe’s, how could one go wrong?