By BRIAN RICHESSON

By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
As a veteran coach, Warren Harding's Thom McDaniels is constantly seeking an edge.
That's why he wasn't afraid to order new blocking sleds for the Raiders -- with purple pads.
Purple?
"My athletic director [Paul Trina] yells at me," McDaniels said. "He asks what the purple is for."
Purple and white are the colors of Cincinnati Elder, the team that defeated Harding for the Division I state championship last season.
"It's just a subtle reminder," McDaniels said. "Every time they hit that sled, we want them to remember that they lost to this team."
Starting fresh
The Raiders enter the 2003 season looking to avenge its loss in the snow at Fawcett Stadium, and they have plenty of talent to do so.
"Our chances are good," McDaniels admitted. "But you win in different ways. I don't know if anybody uses the same formula, the same gameplan for success, year after year."
Good coaches, McDaniels said, play to their strengths. That's why he will utilize the team's kicking game and offensive line this season.
"People who know about this game know about the huge impact a great kicking game has on the outcome of a game," the coach said.
It starts with senior kicker Joe Spain, who was clutch in the playoffs last season, and senior punter John Flaminio.
The offensive line, McDaniels added, returns five of six players from last season.
"They're smarter, bigger and stronger and very capable of making adjustments," he said.
Ferguson's arrival
The most popular storyline of the Raiders' season actually occurred in the off-season, when Ursuline standout running back Delbert Ferguson transferred to Warren.
Fans envision a senior backfield duo of Ferguson and Richard Davis, a 1,000-yard rusher last season, running past opponents.
The 6-foot, 226-pound Ferguson, however, has been slowed in camp by a hamstring injury, McDaniels noted.
"We really don't know a lot about Delbert because he's practiced so little. He's still an unknown entity to us as a Harding kid," McDaniels said Monday. "He's been in rehab and he's been slow to heal."
Until Ferguson can join the lineup, Davis will do just fine. In fact, he's been one of the most impressive players in camp, McDaniels said.
"He may be as focused and as improved of any player we have," the coach said. "He's probably leading the team in both categories -- focus and improvement."
The real question centers on how McDaniels plans to use both of the runners.
"We're not real certain," he said. "It's just conjecture to discuss it until it happens. Once we've got Delbert healthy -- and hopefully Richard will stay healthy -- I'll figure out what we'll do."
Harding used a rotating quarterback system last season, but Mike Phillips (Pittsburgh) and Mike Kokal (Miami of Ohio) have graduated.
The timing couldn't have been better for senior quarterback Alex Engram to return to Warren after living in Texas. He will be the starter.
"He's a Warren kid," McDaniels said. "His family moved to Texas and now they moved back. He's got a terribly strong arm. He has a cannon. He can make all the throws."
SVC depleted
With Austintown Fitch and Boardman having left the Steel Valley Conference to begin Federal League play next season, Harding is one of only three teams remaining in the SVC, with Cardinal Mooney and Ursuline.
McDaniels is the least bit satisfied.
"It's ridiculous to have a three-team conference," he said. "It's almost embarrassing to think of ourselves as such. You tell me where else in America is there a three-team league?"
Harding, Mooney and Ursuline must fend for themselves, the coach said.
"If we can do that and be considerate of each other at the same time, we should," he said. "We'll always want to play Mooney and Ursuline because of the quality opposition, but there's no such thing as a three-team league."
McDaniels doesn't foresee changes being made anytime soon to benefit the league's transition.
"If you find me somebody out there who wants one or all three of us in their conference," McDaniels said, "I'll give you $1,000."
richesson@vindy.com