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A sense of urgency pervades this week in Daegu football nation.

The reigning Far East Division II champions become road Warriors this week for their second of three regular-season meetings with Humphreys, and the only one at Camp Humphreys.

Daegu has already clinched the season series with Osan and leads the Blackhawks 1-0 by virtue of their 38-12 win over Humphreys on Sept. 12. With a win Friday, the Warriors can clinch a berth in their Pacific record-tying sixth D-II title game Nov. 7 at the site of the DODDS Japan D-II finalist. Kickoff is 6 p.m.

“We’ve talked about the fact that our message this week is we haven’t won anything yet,” Warriors coach Ken Walter said.

He hopes his charges can “close it out … something we want to put to bed early” so they can spend the rest of the season getting healthy and developing new players. He also doesn’t want the team’s homecoming game, Oct. 24 against Humphreys, to be a “pivotal game.”

A specific area the Warriors are improving in is the offensive line. They entered the season with just four experienced linemen; next week at Osan, Walter says he can average 240 pounds across the line, tackle to tackle.

“Our one weakness was size,” Walter said. “Now, we’re getting to where we have seven linemen who are game-ready, and that’s a big plus for us. We’re getting better. If we get past this test, the rest of the (season) will be developing kids and getting ready for Far East.”

Humphreys also has much at stake; a win does make the Oct. 24 game the most meaningful each team will play this season.

“We know what’s at stake here,” coach Aaron Mundy said. “We’re going to give it our best shot. Daegu’s in the driver’s seat. They’re coming to Humphreys this time. I’m sure Ken will have them ready to play.”

While Daegu is fielding bigger bodies, Humphreys players’ “general football knowledge” continues to improve. “We took over a team of great kids with limited football knowledge,” Mundy said.

Tuesday’s was probably the Blackhawks’ “best practice of the year,” Mundy said. “We’ve gotten better. I’m sure they’ve gotten better. We’re both small teams. We have some injuries that will affect us. It’s whoever executes better on Friday who will win.”

Another critical D-II battle takes place at Misawa Air Base on Friday, where Robert D. Edgren hopes to go over the .500 mark in a rematch of last Friday’s 18-14 Eagles win at Zama.

Two games with Division I implications are also on tap, defending DODDS Japan champion Nile C. Kinnick visiting Yokota on Friday and defending D-I champion Kubasaki looking to keep pace with the Red Devils when the Dragons visit Seoul American.

Guam’s Interscholastic Football League season may or may not end this weekend, according to league president Martin Boudreau.

Depending on the outcome of this weekend’s games, a game between league-leading George Washington and fifth-place Okkodo may have to be rescheduled and the postseason pushed back a week. Their scheduled Aug. 22 game was postponed due to lighting issues at Okkodo’s home field.

ornauer.dave@stripes.com

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Dave Ornauer has been employed by or assigned to Stars and Stripes Pacific almost continuously since March 5, 1981. He covers interservice and high school sports at DODEA-Pacific schools and manages the Pacific Storm Tracker.

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