UW Football -- Kralik: UW's Junkyard Dawg -- Husky Wr Can Take A Hit

Joe Kralik, the base of his damaged right thumb concealed in a bandage and in obvious pain from rib injuries suffered 90 minutes earlier, resembled a demolition derby car when he emerged from the training room in Edmundson Pavilion yesterday.

But, said Kralik, a University of Washington freshman from Puyallup, all the scrapes and dents he has suffered this spring go with the territory he patrols as a Husky wide receiver.

``I felt my ribs go,'' Kralik said in recalling the post-reception hit he received from cornerback Paxton Tailele that brought gasps from those watching the football scrimmage in Husky Stadium. ``I had trouble breathing. But that's just part of the game.''

Part of Kralik's game is, indeed, his willingness - eagerness? - to play in pain, to take hits and bounce back up. It is a trait that has helped him become one of the most pleasant offensive surprises of the spring practice period, which will end with Saturday's Purple vs. White intrasquad game.

Kralik, 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds, is being compared favorably with the Seattle Seahawks' Paul Skansi, ex-Husky receiver whose durability has been one of the keys to his survival.

``You can compare him (Kralik) to Skansi from the standpoint of size and toughness . . . the ability to take a hit, bounce up and get back to the huddle,'' said wide receiver coach Jeff Woodruff.

Skansi, though, didn't have Kralik's speed.

Woodruff said Skansi's 40-yard dash times were in the 4.6-second neighborhood; Kralik said he ran a 4.42 this spring, the second fastest on the team behind tailback Beno Bryant's 4.3.

Kralik's speed and pass-catching ability, however, seem overshadowed by his determination to stay upright, to not give in to an injury, no matter how hard the hit.

``If they hit you and you stay down it's kind of like `they' won,'' Kralik said. ``If you get right back up and get back in there, they might have given you their best shot but you're hanging in there.''

Kralik (kraw-lik) said he has had ``a ton of injuries'' during a career that began at Sumner High School and continued, his senior year, at Puyallup, where he and quarterback Billy Joe Hobert established themselves as one of the better pass-catch tandems in state prep history. Hobert now is the Huskies' No. 2 quarterback behind Mark Brunell.

``But injuries are just part of being a receiver,'' Kralik said. ``When you come across the middle you're going to get hit hard. Especially at this level, where you have some big safeties.''

Yesterday, Kralik, who was on the second unit at split end behind Mario Bailey and on the first unit as the H back in three-receiver sets, caught three passes for 41 yards. His first catch covered 23 yards and resulted in the rib-injury hit from Thiele.

He caught two more passes later, including a 12-yarder in a crowd that resulted in his helmet being knocked off.

Coach Don James did not disagree with the assessment that Kralik has been the biggest surprise of the spring.

``He'll catch the ball, he'll concentrate,'' James said. ``He works hard on every play, whether he's blocking or running a route.''

Kralik is confident in his ability. He is convinced he is a major-college receiver.

``I knew that once I got my shot that I'd make it,'' Kralik said. ``I'm confident. I knew I could play at this level. That was all I needed was a shot. I've got it now and I'm not going to let it go.''

The scrimmage game was won by the first unit (offensive and defense) over the rest of the team, 20-9.

First-unit touchdowns were scored by tailback Greg Lewis, wide receiver Orlando McKay and Brunell.

Lewis scored on a 1-yard run to cap a 45-yard, nine-play series that began after linebacker James Clifford intercepted a Hobert pass. McKay scored on a 53-yard pass from Brunell, who capped the scoring with a 10-yard TD run on a quarterback draw. Mike Dodd made two of three extra-point kicks.

The second unit went ahead 2-0 when, on a first-unit punt attempt, the center snap sailed over the punter's head and into the end zone. The second-unit touchdown was scored by LaMar Mitchell on a 29-yard pass from Hobert.

Brunell completed 8 of 19 passes for 132 yards; Hobert was 6 for 13 for 67 yards. Both threw an interception; both had a TD pass.

``We got a little bit better,'' James said of the offense. ``We still need to clean up some things, but the offense started to pick it up a little. I'd like to see us have more success against the second and third units.''

The scrimmage exacted a price. David Ilsley, offensive tackle, suffered a broken right leg and probably will miss next season. James said it's a ``six-to-nine-month injury.''

Ilsley, a nonletterman sophomore-to-be from Napa, Calif., was working on the second unit behind Lincoln Kennedy at tackle. Kennedy was on the first unit in part because Sieupeli Malamala is out with an injured finger.