Vikings

Devon Bell has been a slasher and a scorer for most of his basketball career. This season, he'll also be a setup man. That's the tricky combination, but the Eastern senior has the skill and the court sense to make it work, according to coach Joe Murphy. "I want the ball in his hands," Murphy said of Bell, the leader of an Eastern team that will begin the season in the No. 3 spot in The Inquirer's Top 10. The 6-foot-1 Bell averaged 14 points last season as Eastern went 24-4, won the Olympic Conference American Division, and reached the South Jersey Group 4 semifinals, losing to eventual state champion Atlantic City.

The Eastern football team runs the drill every Tuesday. It's called, "Block, Scoop, and Score. " It's designed to remind the guys on the Vikings' special-teams squads that they can make the difference between winning and losing. "I think there's a stat out there that if you block a punt, you've got an 85 percent chance of winning that game," Eastern coach Dan Spittal said. Eastern is 2-0 in games when the Vikings block a punt and score on the play. They did it twice in a 31-20 victory over Cherry Hill East on Sept.

THEY DON'T CALL the NFL the "No Fun League" for nothing. On Sunday, Vikings punter Chris Kluwe decided to cover the 50th Anniversary Hall of Fame patch on his jersey with a yellow Post-it Note that read: "Vote Ray Guy. " Kluwe would like to see Guy become the first punter inducted into the Hall of Fame. And why not? Guy averaged 42.4 yards per punt during 14 seasons with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. He was also the first pure punter ever drafted in the first round when the Raiders made him the 23rd overall pick in 1973.

Of all the numbers in basketball, the smallest might be the most important. "One ball," Eastern coach Joe Murphy said of his briefest and best message to his talented team. Start with that premise. One ball. By its nature, the sport promotes team play. And the best teams usually are the ones that share the best. Eastern began a season of great expectations on Friday with an imposing, 68-40 victory over visiting Camden in an Olympic Conference interdivision clash. Junior swingman Devon Bell scored 27, and senior guard Mike Wilson added 16. Eastern played sturdy defense; controlled the backboards; and made five three-pointers, all in the first three quarters.

Eastern snapped Washington Township's 63-game winning streak against Olympic Conference American Division opponents in girls' basketball yesterday. The Vikings did it the hard way, rallying from a 17-point third-period deficit to win, 58-56. Washington Township's last loss to an American Division opponent came against Pennsauken in February 1991. Guard Jessica Fraser led the Vikings (7-2 overall, 3-1 division) by scoring 27 points. She connected for nine points in the fourth quarter, including three in the final minute.

Jackie Ingram's first home run was the shot in the arm that her West Chester East softball team needed. Her second brought the Vikings to within a run of visiting Downingtown East. By the time her third long ball of the day cleared the high fence and rolled on the football field, her coach, Chuck Lindsay, was shaking his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable," he said, as Ingram rounded the bases with a similar look of amazement across her face. On practically any other day, the moment would have belonged to Ingram, as the senior had seven RBIs Friday.

VIDEO Senior guard Brett Knoblauch talks about the Vikings' victory.

Who: Eagles (2-4) at Vikings (2-4) When: Sunday, 1 p.m. Where: Metrodome TV: Fox Radio: WYSP (94.1-FM) Series: Vikings lead, 11-10

1. Still an interesting story. If he plays, the Vikings are Super Bowl contenders. 2. Totally off my radar. Who cares if he plays or not?