`whites Only' Image Mars Police, Fire Departments 
The United States Is Better Off Today Because Black People Have Moved In Such 
Huge Numbers Into The Middle Class. Citizens' Sense Of Justice Improves In 
Some Intangible But Deeply Important Way When Black Faces Appear In Congress 
And Other High-level Positions, As Well As On Construction Sites, In Executive 
Suites And At Other Everyday Workplaces.

Arson-plagued High-rise Gets Increased Security 
Investigators Have Yet To Name A Suspect In Blazes 
That Hit On Wednesday And Thursday.

Saturday, December 10, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





ALTOONA -- Even after the pummeling his team took in the PIAA Class AAA
state championship at the hands of Berwick Friday night, Jim Wildman wasn't
backing down. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He meant every word he said this week about Berwick's football mystique not
extending past the boundaries of Berwick. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And neither the constant pummeling Sharon took on both sides of the ball
Friday night nor the hapless 27-7 loss it boarded the bus with were about to
change Wildman's mind. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Right!" a defensive Wildman said minutes after his Tigers were totally
humbled in Friday's state championship. "Our flags are prettier than theirs,
our uniforms are nicer than theirs and I'm skinnier than George Curry." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Trouble is, looks don't win state titles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Berwick has three such trophies to prove it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If there is a more boring team than Berwick, it hasn't reached the state
title game yet, certainly not as often as the Bulldogs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By the bland nature of their blue and white uniforms, the Bulldogs are the
high school version of Penn State when it comes to flash and dash. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Their workman-like way on the field doesn't do much to rouse excitement
either. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There was a little taunting and some showboating from Sharon after a couple
of good hits and a nice kick return or two. True to their clean-cut choir-boy
image, the Bulldogs just walked away. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They're a very cocky team," senior Berwick wide receiver Mike Bennett
said. "Every team talks to us. We had to shut 'em up. " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This did not include retaliation by taunts or even a wild swing or two. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Berwick simply reverted to physical dominance everytime the ball was
snapped. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We pushed 'em around," Berwick Coach George Curry boasted. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And even a proud man like Wildman didn't have an answer for it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They controlled everything well," Wildman said. "The second half, they
controlled the line of scrimmage. We got beat by a very good football team." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The toughest things Berwick had to control were its own tempers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After all, Wildman tried to make Berwick, which won its record third PIAA
Class AAA state title and is almost an annual member of the USA Today Top 25
High School Football Poll, into an irrelevent school from a little town that
doesn't carry much weight in the Western part of Pennsylania. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Plenty of coaches trash-talk," Bennett said. "They try to knock other
teams down. But whatever they had to say during the week, we didn't listen to
it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's very hard," Bennett admitted. "But coach implements discipline.
Whatever it takes, coach wants us to be very disciplined." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Funny thing is, Curry could care less about Berwick carrying a mystique. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We're not a mystique, we're a football team," Curry said. "A mystique is
something that's intangible. We're real. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We're winners." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And if they don't have an air of invicibility that carries throughout the
state by now, well, at least the Bulldogs have another state title. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And its significance will not only extend the boundaries of Berwick, but
carry all the way through the last town off Interstate 80 before the border of
Ohio. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sharon's Trash-talk Didn't Phase Champs