Post by lionsroar on May 20, 2008 14:23:28 GMT -5
Ditmore does more in Wildcats’ victory
By GARY HERRON, Observer sports editor
You certainly couldn’t say one of the newest Wildcats, Tyson Ditmore, was the only reason won in Rio Rancho for the first time last Saturday, but the former Lobo played a huge role in the ‘Cats’ 32-9 victory over visiting Utah.
That’s what two interceptions will do for you.
Ditmore, who turns 23 on May 30, played in 45 games with the University of New Mexico from 2003-07, starting all 13 games in 2006.
He’ll be wearing the No. 2 jersey Tuesday evening when the ‘Cats (2-5) try to beat second-place Arizona (5-2) after three losses to the Adrenaline. Game time at Santa Ana Star Center is 7:05 p.m.
To hear people in Las Cruces tell it, Ditmore’s a gridiron traitor.
That’s where he grew up, playing youth football and then three varsity seasons at Las Cruces High School. (His brother Dustin played for incoming Cleveland High coach Kirk Potter when Potter was the Bulldawgs’ head coach.)
Ditmore was a first-team All-State receiver and safety as a senior at LCHS, after earning first-team All-State laurels as a junior, when the ‘Dawgs were Class 5A state champs.
Not surprisingly, the Aggies wanted him to play there. Ditmore had other ideas, like getting out of town, and was in the Lobos’ recruiting class of 2004, listed in the media guide as a wide receiver.
“I wanted to come up here and play for coach (Rocky) Long and I’ve had a blast playing up here,” he said. “It was part of the whole college experience, to get away from home.”
Like most youngsters, Ditmore played more than one sport.
“I used to play some baseball and basketball,” Ditmore, a six-foot, 210-pounder said after Thursday’s practice at Blades. “Once I got into the later high school days, I started playing a lot more football. I started getting used to it and kind of figured out that’s what I’d be doing for a while.”
It was a good move for Ditmore, who concluded his eligibility at UNM as a safety. He’s a “jack” linebacker for the Wildcats.
“Coming out here, what I really liked is everybody welcomed me with warm arms,” he said. “We’re a big family here. Any team that I’ve ever played with is a family: UNM was a family, ‘Cruces High was a family, even my YAFL teams were family. But these guys out here, we just all mesh together and coming off a big victory against Utah last weekend is big for us, all coming together.”
Former Landrick Brody was the first former Lobo to be signed by the Wildcats; Ditmore is merely the most recent.
“I really didn’t even think I was going to be coming out to play until after next season,” he said. “I kind of wanted to take a little bit of a break and I talked to (former Aggie) Shukree Shabazz. He told me to come out and practice with them for a little bit.
“I came out and practiced and I know they liked what I saw and they, fortunately, gave me the opportunity to come out and play Saturday and I tried to make the best of it.”
It’s not like he’s in the NFL, where Ditmore would still like to make his name someday, and starting his pro career with two picks can’t hurt.
“Definitely coming out to play and make some money is a big incentive on that, but most of it is coming out for the love of the game,” he said. “You’ve got great people in the city of Rio Rancho and Bernalillo and Albuquerque coming out to watch us.
“They’ve seen guys that played at UNM, then coming into the Star Center — it’s a good thing, it’s good entertainment.”
Despite his wealth of football experience in Las Cruces and with the Lobos, Ditmore confessed he was nervous before last Saturday’s kickoff, albeit an hour late because Utah’s bus had broken down en route.
“(I had) a lot of butterflies, just like any first game you go out and play,” he said. “And then, kind of when you get out there, it’s like hopping right back on the bike and getting on to it, but of course the rules are different.”
The indoor game, Ditmore said, “is a lot quicker. I mean, of course the fields are a lot smaller. It kind of took me a couple days to get the rules down, and these coaches gave us enough time to prepare and prepared us really well.
“To hold them to nine points is kind of unheard of in arena ball,” he said. “I think our defense has meshed real well and the whole team is coming together real good.”
Despite his debut per-formance, Ditmore said it wasn’t flawless, as he noticed while reviewing the game film.
“There’s always times you know you messed up personally,” he said. “When you watch film (later), that’s how you become a better player, is you watch off your mistakes and you get better off of things that you know you messed up on.”
Ditmore is about 40 credits short of a degree from UNM. Once that sheepskin’s in hand, he said, “I want to teach and coach some high school football.
“I had a lot of fun when I played and what I want to do is turn all my learnings and all my findings to the younger kids that are at that level, ready to mature and head off to college,” he said.
Wildcat tracks: Arizona suffered a 72-56 loss to league-leading Wyoming last weekend.
… The Wildcats’ third consecutive home game is on May 24 when first-place Wyoming visits at 7:05 p.m.
observer-online.com/articles/2008/05/19/sports/sports1.txt
By GARY HERRON, Observer sports editor
You certainly couldn’t say one of the newest Wildcats, Tyson Ditmore, was the only reason won in Rio Rancho for the first time last Saturday, but the former Lobo played a huge role in the ‘Cats’ 32-9 victory over visiting Utah.
That’s what two interceptions will do for you.
Ditmore, who turns 23 on May 30, played in 45 games with the University of New Mexico from 2003-07, starting all 13 games in 2006.
He’ll be wearing the No. 2 jersey Tuesday evening when the ‘Cats (2-5) try to beat second-place Arizona (5-2) after three losses to the Adrenaline. Game time at Santa Ana Star Center is 7:05 p.m.
To hear people in Las Cruces tell it, Ditmore’s a gridiron traitor.
That’s where he grew up, playing youth football and then three varsity seasons at Las Cruces High School. (His brother Dustin played for incoming Cleveland High coach Kirk Potter when Potter was the Bulldawgs’ head coach.)
Ditmore was a first-team All-State receiver and safety as a senior at LCHS, after earning first-team All-State laurels as a junior, when the ‘Dawgs were Class 5A state champs.
Not surprisingly, the Aggies wanted him to play there. Ditmore had other ideas, like getting out of town, and was in the Lobos’ recruiting class of 2004, listed in the media guide as a wide receiver.
“I wanted to come up here and play for coach (Rocky) Long and I’ve had a blast playing up here,” he said. “It was part of the whole college experience, to get away from home.”
Like most youngsters, Ditmore played more than one sport.
“I used to play some baseball and basketball,” Ditmore, a six-foot, 210-pounder said after Thursday’s practice at Blades. “Once I got into the later high school days, I started playing a lot more football. I started getting used to it and kind of figured out that’s what I’d be doing for a while.”
It was a good move for Ditmore, who concluded his eligibility at UNM as a safety. He’s a “jack” linebacker for the Wildcats.
“Coming out here, what I really liked is everybody welcomed me with warm arms,” he said. “We’re a big family here. Any team that I’ve ever played with is a family: UNM was a family, ‘Cruces High was a family, even my YAFL teams were family. But these guys out here, we just all mesh together and coming off a big victory against Utah last weekend is big for us, all coming together.”
Former Landrick Brody was the first former Lobo to be signed by the Wildcats; Ditmore is merely the most recent.
“I really didn’t even think I was going to be coming out to play until after next season,” he said. “I kind of wanted to take a little bit of a break and I talked to (former Aggie) Shukree Shabazz. He told me to come out and practice with them for a little bit.
“I came out and practiced and I know they liked what I saw and they, fortunately, gave me the opportunity to come out and play Saturday and I tried to make the best of it.”
It’s not like he’s in the NFL, where Ditmore would still like to make his name someday, and starting his pro career with two picks can’t hurt.
“Definitely coming out to play and make some money is a big incentive on that, but most of it is coming out for the love of the game,” he said. “You’ve got great people in the city of Rio Rancho and Bernalillo and Albuquerque coming out to watch us.
“They’ve seen guys that played at UNM, then coming into the Star Center — it’s a good thing, it’s good entertainment.”
Despite his wealth of football experience in Las Cruces and with the Lobos, Ditmore confessed he was nervous before last Saturday’s kickoff, albeit an hour late because Utah’s bus had broken down en route.
“(I had) a lot of butterflies, just like any first game you go out and play,” he said. “And then, kind of when you get out there, it’s like hopping right back on the bike and getting on to it, but of course the rules are different.”
The indoor game, Ditmore said, “is a lot quicker. I mean, of course the fields are a lot smaller. It kind of took me a couple days to get the rules down, and these coaches gave us enough time to prepare and prepared us really well.
“To hold them to nine points is kind of unheard of in arena ball,” he said. “I think our defense has meshed real well and the whole team is coming together real good.”
Despite his debut per-formance, Ditmore said it wasn’t flawless, as he noticed while reviewing the game film.
“There’s always times you know you messed up personally,” he said. “When you watch film (later), that’s how you become a better player, is you watch off your mistakes and you get better off of things that you know you messed up on.”
Ditmore is about 40 credits short of a degree from UNM. Once that sheepskin’s in hand, he said, “I want to teach and coach some high school football.
“I had a lot of fun when I played and what I want to do is turn all my learnings and all my findings to the younger kids that are at that level, ready to mature and head off to college,” he said.
Wildcat tracks: Arizona suffered a 72-56 loss to league-leading Wyoming last weekend.
… The Wildcats’ third consecutive home game is on May 24 when first-place Wyoming visits at 7:05 p.m.
observer-online.com/articles/2008/05/19/sports/sports1.txt