George Dantsuka said he hasn't been playing the Football Fever contest since his knee surgery on Oct. 4. Football Fever win
perks up DantsukaIt was the first ballot the retired
70-year-old had submitted in over
a month after surgeryHe just wasn't feeling very well.
But last week, the urge to resume prognosticating was too strong to resist and the 70-year-old retired stevedore form shipping clerk dashed off an entry. He's glad he did, because Dantsuka's name was picked from the list of qualifiers this week to win $500 and four tickets to the Jeep Oahu Bowl.
"I didn't do too much studying this week, though I usually do," said the Kapalama resident.
He said the money will come in handy in January when he travels to Las Vegas.
To qualify for the Football Fever prize drawing, Dantsuka had to equal or better the contest's top-scoring celebrity panelist. This week it was the Star-Bulletin's Cindy Luis, who went 8-2.
There were a total of 12,002 ballots submitted last week.
Russell Nygard shot a 5-under-par 67, matching the best score of the tournament and pacing the Hawaii men's golf team to a second-place finish behind sixth-ranked Texas in the 54-hole Stan Sheriff Classic at Maui's Makena course yesterday. Nygard-led Rainbows
second in Sheriff golfIt was the Rainbows' best showing of the season.
Nygard earned a share of fourth in the individual chase with a 219 total and teammate Louis Mexia (75--223) was tied for eighth. Shane Hoshino of Hawaii-Hilo was 11th at 75--226.
Matt Brost (73--213) led a 1-2-3 finish for Texas.
NIXON FOURTH FASTEST HARRIER: Adams State (Colo.) senior Shawn Nixon, a two-time Hawaii state champion at Kalaheo High School, finished fourth in the NCAA Division II men's cross-country meet, leading Adams State (Colo.) to the team title yesterday at Lawrence, Kan.
Hawaii-Hilo's Eleazer Hernandez was 42d and Hawaii Pacific's Christian Friis 61st in the field of 132 harriers.
Yi Min Wu of Edinboro (Pa.) won the 10-kilometer run in 31 minutes, six seconds. Nixon was timed in 31:30.40, Hernandez in 33:12.70 and Friis in 33:44.
EARLY OUSTER FOR KEAULANA: Three-time world longboard champion Rusty Keaulana of Hawaii was a first-round casualty in the Oxbow World Longboard Championship surf meet yesterday in the Canary Islands.
Hawaii surfers advancing to round 2 were James Teal, Dino Miranda, Sion Milosky, Kanoa Dahlin, Duane DeSoto, Lance Hookano, Chris Vandervoot, Bonga Perkins, Joey Valentin and Danny Kalahiki.
PRATT WORLD-CLASS LIFTER: Conrad Pratt, a fifth grader at Punahou School, was selected the "Best Youth Lifter" in the 1998 AAU World Bench Press Championships last weekend at Moreno Valley, Calif.
Pratt, competing in the 10-11-year-old, under-114-pounds weight division, placed first in both categories of the competition, setting two world and two American records.
HAWAII MEN NO. 3 IN NATION: The Hawaii men's volleyball team is ranked third nationally, behind No. 1 UCLA and Lewis, in the preseason Volleyball Magazine Poll.
The Rainbows begin a series of four exhibition matches against sixth-ranked Brigham Young tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Klum Gym. Tickets are on sale at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The 'Bows and Cougars also will play Thursday at the Hilo Civic Center, Friday at Seabury Hall in Makawao, Maui, and Saturday at Kapaa High School on Kauai. All matches start at 7 p.m.
UH SAILORS IN U.S./JAPAN REGATTA: The nationally-ranked Hawaii coed sailing team winds up its fall season with skipper Brent Harrill and crew Natalia Tangalin competing in the U.S./Japan Goodwill Regatta Friday through Sunday at Newport Beach, Calif.
Harrill and Tangalin will sail in doublehanded Flying Junior boats.
The Rainbows moved up one spot to No. 14, among more than 200 teams, in Sailing World magazine's latest ratings.
HILO HOOPFEST: The seventh annual City Bank/Aloha Airlines Big Island Invitational basketball tournament, with seven mainland college teams joining host Hawaii-Hilo in the field, will be played Friday through Sunday at Hilo's Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The first-round pairings are St. Louis vs. Evansville at noon, Georgia Tech vs. New Orleans at 2:15 p.m., West Virginia vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay at 5:30 p.m. and UH-Hilo vs. Washington at 7:45 p.m.
For more information, call 974-7453 on the Big Island.