Top Performers in Week #4

RUSHING:

Dallas Isaak, ACH (B-8)
311 yards, 19 carries, 3 TD's

Lowden Smith, Dayton (B-11)
300 yards, 43 carries, 2 TD's

Rama Rudolph, Tri-Cities Prep (B-11)
296 yards, 45 carries, 3 TD's

Sam Schafer, Odessa-Harrington (B-8)
267 yards, 18 carries, 2 TD's

Kyler Hazen, Mossyrock (B-11)
249 yards, 29 carries, 4 TD's

Tyler Yarber, Rochester (1A)
223 yards, 34 carries, 1 TD

Kurt Calhoun, Zillah (1A)
22 yards, 24 carries, 3 TD's

PASSING:

Trystan Rosman, Wilbur-Creston (B-8)
299 yards, 13-of-16, 5 TD's

Jake Straughan, Colton (B-8)
273 yards, 13-of-16, 5 TD's

Ryan Collin, Elma (1A)
260 yards, 15-of-18, 2 TD's

Austin Brockie, Lummi (B-8)
250 yards, 12-of-18, 6 TD's

Joe Cutshall, Soap Lake (B-8)
239 yards, 12-of-24, 3 TD's

Sam Schafer, Odessa-Harrington (B-8)
211 yards, 9-of-14, 5 TD's

RECEIVING:

Brant Bosma, Sunnyside Christian (B-8)
219 yards, 4 receptions, 4 TD's

Dalton Patchen, Colton (B-8)
180 yards, 7 receptions, 3 TD's

Austin Getz, Colfax (B-11)
148 yards, 5 receptions, 2 TD's

Todd Swinhart, Elma (1A)
135 yards, 4 receptions, 2 TD's

Mason Copeland, Wilbur-Creston (B-8)
126 yards, 3 receptions, 1 TD

Darryl Galloway, De Sales (B-11)
115 yards, 3 receptions, 2 TD's

Cody Daniels, Liberty Christian (B-8)
106 yards, 6 receptions, 1 TD

Colton Magers, Wilbur-Creston (B-8)
106 yards, 4 receptions, 3 TD's

The A & B Football Report Rankings

CLASS 1A:

1. Zillah 4-0

2. Cascade Christian 4-0

3. Woodland 4-0

4. Freeman 4-0

5. Mount Baker 3-1

6. La Center 4-0

7. River View 4-0

8. Charles Wright 3-0

9. King's 3-1

10. Okanogan 4-0

11. Cashmere 3-1

12. Royal 3-1

13. Montesano 2-2

14. Eatonville 3-1

15. Rochester 3-1

CLASS B-11:

1. Lind-Ritzville-Sprague 3-0

2. Morton-White Pass 4-0

3. Napavine 4-0

4. La Conner 3-1

5. Wahkiakum 4-0

6. Reardan 2-1

7. North Beach 4-0

8. Waitsburg-Prescott 2-1

9. Raymond 4-0

10. Colfax 2-1

11. De Sales 3-1

12. Tri-Cities Prep 2-1

13. Asotin 3-1

14. Willapa Valley 3-1

15. Darrington 3-1

CLASS B-8:

1. Neah Bay 3-0

2. Liberty Christian 3-0

3. Lummi 3-1

4. Wilbur-Creston 3-1

5. Touchet 3-1

6. Selkirk 4-0

7. Colton 3-1

8. Rosalia 3-1

9. Columbia-Inchelium 3-1

10. Odessa-Harrington 2-2

11. Soap Lake 3-1

12. Pateros 2-2

13. Sunnyside Christian 3-1

14. Lopez Island 3-0

15. Wishkah Valley 3-1

**King's Way Christian is ineligible for the playoffs. They are in the 1A classification but are playing 8-man football....

Utah's Union High School Suspends Entire Football Team In Lesson About Character

At Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah, Coach Matt Labrum believes football creates young men.

And it is that belief and his passion for the game that led Labrum and his staff to suspend all 80 players from the team because of off-the-field problems ranging from cyberbullying to skipping classes.

“We felt like everything was going in a direction that we didn’t want our young men going,” said Labrum, an alumnus of the program he’s coached for the past two seasons. “We felt like we needed to make a stand.”

So the coach and his staff gathered the team together after Friday night’s loss to Judge Memorial Catholic and told them he was concerned about some of the players’ actions and behaviors off the field. He instructed them all to turn in their jerseys and their equipment. There would be no more football until they earn the privilege to play.

The coaches told them there would be a 7 a.m. meeting the next day where they would have an opportunity to re-earn a spot on the team.

“We looked at it as a chance to say, ‘Hey, we need to focus on some other things that are more important than winning a football game.” Labrum said. I think it really meant something to them, which was nice to see that it does mean something. There was none of them that fought us on it.”

A few days before, guidance counselors informed the coaches about a student who believed he was being harassed by football players on an online chat program.

Other issues that concerned the coaches included failing and skipping classes, and showing disrespect to teachers.

“It had gotten to a new level.” said Labrum. “We felt like we weren’t respecting the teachers, what they were trying to do inside the school. We weren’t reaching the young men like we wanted to reach them.”
So they stopped playing football and started to discuss character.

During Saturday’s team meeting, Labrum gave the suspended football players a letter titled “Union Football Character,” explaining exactly what the boys would need to do if they wanted to earn their jerseys back.

Instead of practicing during the days leading up to a homecoming game against Emery High this Friday, they were told to perform community service, attend study hall and a class on character development. They were also required to perform service for their own families and write a report about their actions.

Also, players needed to show up on time for classes, and those with bad grades must show improvement if they wanted to play.

School administrators learned of the decision to suspend the team the day before it happened, said they supported the move and saw it as more of an opportunity than punishment.

“As I thought about it, I’ve got 100 percent confidence in our coaching staff,” said Principal Rick Nielsen. “They are just excellent men. Sometimes we do think we’re bigger than the game.”

No parent complained about the decision to the administration. Most expressed support and gratitude.

One parent, Jenn Rook, admits her first reaction was to hurry off to find a coach to corner, but then her son told her what led to the decision.

“OK, that’s not so bad then, Rook said. I do support it. These boys are not going to be hurt by this...It’s not a punishment, I see it as an opportunity to do some good in the community.”

After meeting with the coach, Jeremy Libberton totally supported the coach.

After I met with him, he’s got my support,” said Libberton. “I’m encouraging my son to stand strong, to stand with the team and get through this…

One player, Gavin Nielsen says his passion for the game hasn’t diminished, but he does have a new perspective on what it means to wear the Union High uniform.

“I still have the love for it and everything, he said Monday while leaning on a shovel used to remove weeds. “But it helped me realize, it’s not all about football.”

The "A & B" Football Report Top 15 Rankings

Here are The "A & B" Football Report rankings:

1A:

1. Zillah 3-0
2. Cascade Christian 3-0
3. Royal 3-0
4. Freeman 3-0
5. Mount Baker 2-1
6. Charles Wright 3-0
7. La Center 3-0
8. Montesano 2-1
9. Woodland 3-0
10. King's 2-1
11. Cashmere 2-1
12. Okanogan 3-0
13. River View 3-0
14. Cascade (Leav.) 2-1
15. South Whidbey 3-0

B-11:

1. Lind-Ritzville-Sprague 2-0
2. Morton-White Pass 3-0
3. Reardan 2-0
4. La Conner 3-0
5. Napavine 3-0
6. Wahkiakum 3-0
7. Asotin 3-0
8. Waitsburg-Prescott 2-1
9. Raymond 3-1
10. Oroville 2-0
11. Colfax 1-1
12. North Beach 3-0
13. Tri-Cities Prep 1-1
14. Willapa Valley 2-1
15. DeSales 2-1

B-8:

1. Neah Bay 3-0
2. Touchet 3-0
3. Liberty Christian 2-0
4. Lummi 2-1
5. Wilbur-Creston 2-1
6. Soap Lake 3-0
7. Selkirk 3-0
8. Colton 2-1
9. Rosalia 2-1
10. Columbia-Inchelium 2-1
11. Pateros 2-1
12. Odessa-Harrington 1-2
13. Republic 2-1
14. Sunnyside Christian 2-1
15. Wishkah Valley 2-1

Top Performers From Week 3

Here are the Top Performers from Week 3:

Rushing:

Alex Putman, Wilbur-Creston (B-8)
272 yards, 24 rushes, 7 TD's

Tyler Yarber, Rochester (1A)
235 yards, 26 rushes, 4 TD's

Colton Ashchoff, Kalama (1A)
227 yards, 21 rushes, 3 TD's

Jarred Corbett, Toutle Lake (B-11)
222 yards, 23 rushes, 4 TD's

Criag Nelson, Rosalia (B-8)
208 yards, 22 rushes, 2 TD's

Anthony Louthan, Montesano (1A)
207 yards, 25 rushes, 2 TD's

Passing:

Ryan Rapp, Newport (1A)
239 yards, 15-of-30, 3 TD's

Jay Becker, King's Way Christian (B-8)
239 yards, 6-of-11, 4 TD's

Mikey Piechalski, Pateros (B-8)
204 yards, 16-of-28, 4 TD's

Match Burnham, Liberty (Spangle) (B-11)
202 yards, 16-of-33, 2 TD's

Dominic Cain, Selkirk (B-8)
202 yards, 14-of-20, 2 TD's

Gunnar Blix, Wahkiakum (B-11)
183 yards, 7-of-10, 0 TD's

Mitch Boesel, Brewster, (B-11)
178 yards, 12-of-20, 1 TD

Receiving:

Jeron Korkright, Newport (1A)
196 yards, 5 receptions, 3 TD's

Devin Acevedo, Waitsburg-Prescott (B-11)
135 yards, 6 receptions, 1 TD

Austin Zeller, Davenport (B-11)
134 yards, 4 receptions, 3 TD's

Mason Swenson, Concrete (B-11)
98 yards, 3 receptions, 1 TD

Daryl Galloway, De Sales (B-11)
98 yards, 3 receptions, 1 TD

Cody Zyph, Kiona-Benton (1A)
96 yards, 3 receptions, 0 TD's

Cody Hand, River View (1A)
72 yards, 2 receptions, 1 TD

Cody Daniels, Liberty Christian (B-8)
66 yards, 2 receptions, 2 TD's

Coaches "Proactive" in dealing with the "Concussion" Issue

The injury to Davenport’s Max Mielke last Friday night got the discussion going again about head injuries in the ultimate team sport of football.
In the past few months, 2 players from the east coast have died from helmet-to-helmet hits. One player, Damon Jones, 16, a junior running back from Brocton, New York died from a helmet-to-helmet hit.

DeAntre Truman , from Georgia’s College Park’s Creekside High School died in an August scrimmage after suffering a broken neck and fractured cervical vertebra.
After talking this week to several coaches from around the state of Washington, I am totally convinced that the sport of football is in great hands and that the coaches at the A & B levels are some of the best coaches in the state. They are teaching the proper fundamentals and techniques of tackling and are proactive in findings ways to make this great game safe.

On May 14th 2009, Gov. Christine Gregoire signed the nation’s toughest youth athlete return-to-play law.

The law, (House Bill 1824), known as the Zachary Lystedt Law, requires medical clearance of youth athletes suspected of sustaining a concussion, before sending them back in the game, practice or training.

Some key provisions of the law include:

Youth athletes who are suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury be removed from play. “When in doubt, sit out.”

School districts work with the WIAA to develop info and policies on educating coaches, athletes and parents about the risk of concussion including the dangers of returning to practice after a concussion or head injury.

All student-athletes and parents sign an information sheet about concussion or head injury prior to practice at the start of each season.

Athletes who have been removed from play receive written medical clearance prior to returning to play from a licensed health-care provider trained in the evaluation and management of concussion.

Though the laws are in place, Lind-Ritzville-Sprague coach and AD Greg Whitmore is still concerned about the state of the game.

“I believe that our game as we know it is in peril,” said Whitmore. “We must change and that starts with us thinking outside the box to make this game safer.”

A couple of ideas that Whitmore suggested would be to reduce the current schedule of 10 games to 9. And that all teams begin their season with a jamboree.

“In fact I would like to see all sports schedules be reduced by 10 percent. Basketball from 20 games to 18 games, and so on.” Whitmore said. “We must become the leaders in the movement.”

Waitsburg-Prescott coach Jeff Bartlow agrees with going to a 9-game schedule and a jamboree to begin the season.

“I think if you are looking at safety in our sport, one of the options we have to look at is going back to the 9-game schedule as well as the jamboree.” said Bartlow.

One factor that might hinder the approval of Whitmore’s and Bartlow’s suggestions is the fact that football is the cash-cow for high school athletic budgets. A loss of a home contest could cost a school thousands of dollars.

Another suggestion that has been mentioned is that we could “limit” contact during the week of practice.

“If we begin to limit contact during the week, aren’t we compromising our players?”, said Tom Sanchez, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at South Bend High School. “If we limit the time we get to teach our players proper form and technique, we are doing our players a disservice.”

One suggestion that Sanchez brings up is during the off-season, eliminate the scrimmages between other schools. That includes scrimmages during team camp.

“I know that during scrimmages with my team, I can control the hitting between my team,” said Sanchez. “But between my team and another, I have less control.”

One of the major concerns is the next count for re-classification. Athletic Directors are hearing that the numbers for reclassifying the 2B’s or B-11’s will be around 84-243. If those numbers are true, it will mean that the small 2B’s could be playing schools three-times their size.

Teams like Montesano, Cascade Christian, Zillah, Okanogan, Cascade (Leavenworth) could be in the 2B classification. Seriously? That would not be healthy for the state of the game.

In chatting with several members of the Northeast 1B/2B, they will be proposing an amendment to the WIAA that 0-to-100 will be classified as 1B or B-8, 101-200 will be 2B or B-11, 1A—4A 25 % each of schools 201 and above.

“You shouldn’t be playing someone that is more than twice your size.” said the 1B/2B members. “Benefits would be safety, stability for the 1B and 2B schools, competitiveness is more important at the B level than an equal number of teams, especially since many 1B teams do not have the full offering of sports, etc.”

Week One Leaders

Here are Week One's Leaders:
RUSHING:

Devin Cooper, Lummi (B-8)
16 rushes, 272 yards, 3 TD's

Craig Nelson, Rosalia (B-8)
22 rushes, 260 yards, 4 TD's

Dallas Isaak, ACH (B-8)
29 rushes, 229 yards, 2 TD's


Tyler Yarber, Rochester (1A)
26 rushes, 228 yards, 2 TD's

Jake Straughan, Colton (B-8)
5 rushes, 206 yards, 3 TD's

Wade West, St. John-Endicott (B-8)
14 rushes, 201 yards, 6 TD's

Mckoy Bichler, Rainier (1A)
14 rushes, 192 yards, 4 TD's

PASSING:

Trystan Rosman, Wilbur-Creston (B-8)
13-of-21, 282 yards, 6 TD's

Dane Pedersen, Tri-Cities Prep (B-11)
8-of-14, 256 yards, 2 TD's

Owen Lanning, Waitsburg-Prescott (B-11)
12-of-15, 196 yards, 3 TD's

Jake Straughan, Colton (B-8)
6-of-6, 195 yards, 2 TD's

Josiah Greene, Neah Bay (B-8)
11-of-18, 179 yards, 3 TD's

Ruvim Tyutynnik, River View (1A)
9-of-14, 176 yards, 4 TD's

Carter Allred, Royal (1A)
7-of-11, 169 yards, 1 TD

RECEIVING:

Bennett Pedersen, Tri-Cities Prep, (B-11)
5 rec., 160 yards, 1 TD

Jose Pence, Royal (1A)
4 rec., 118 yards, 1 TD

Joey Rosman, Wilbur-Creston, (B-8)
3 rec., 115 yards, 0 TD's

Chris Ryckman, Columbia Burbank, (1A)
7 rec., 108 yards, 3 TD's

Dillion Frank, Colton (B-8)
3 rec., 106 yards, 1 TD

State Champion Bulldogs to play without a stadium

For the second straight season, Montesano's High School Football team will be a team with out a home field.

The planned reconstruction of the Rottle Field grandstands, destroyed by fire last September, will not be completed for the 2013 football season.

The project, targeted for completion by mid-October, was due to difficulties with the concrete risers that would support the wooden benches in the grandstand.

Stadium constructor Rognlin's Inc. of Aberdeen, refused the precast risers provided by the supplier.

"There was some bowing to the concrete risers and areas that were not square, so they were having trouble fitting into the brackets," said Monte superintendent Dan Winter. "That caused them to realize they had a bow in them."

The defending 1A football champs had already rescheduled three of their five home games - Sept. 13 against Cascade Christian, Sept. 26 against Woodland and their homecoming contest Oct. 18 against Tenino - for Aberdeen's Stewart Field.

Fire destroyed the stadium's grandstands last Sept. 16, forcing the varsity football squad to play all but one of its remaining games away from home. The Bulldogs overcame the handicap to capture the 1A State Football Championship.

The "A & B" Football Report: 1A Pre-Season Rankings

1. Royal (13-1 in 2012)

2. Montesano (12-2 in 2012)

3. Cashmere (10-1 in 2012)

4. Mount Baker (10-2 in 2012)

5. King's (11-1 in 2012

6. Connell (5-5 in 2012)

7. Zillah (9-2 in 2012)

8. Charles Wright (8-1 in 2012)

9. Meridian (6-5 in 2012)

10. Freeman (7-3 in 2012)

11. Okanogan (5-5 in 2012)

12. Woodland (8-3 in 2012)

13. La Center (11-1 in 2012)

14. Cascade (Leavenworth) 7-3 in 2012)

15. Hoquiam (10-1 in 2012)

The "A & B" Football Report: B-11 Pre-Season Rankings:

1. Lind-Ritzville-Sprague (13-0 in 2012)

2. Morton-White Pass (12-1 in 2012)

3. Waitsburg-Prescott (11-2 in 2012)

4. Colfax (5-3 in 2012)

5. Reardan (8-3 in 2012)

6. La Conner (11-2 in 2012)

7. Adna (7-4 in 2012)

8. Tri-Cities Prep (5-5 in 2012)

9. Napavine (7-4 in 2012)

10. Raymond (7-3 in 2012)

11. DeSales (9-2 in 2012)

12. Mossyrock (7-5 in 2012

13. Willapa Valley (7-2 in 2012)

14. Wahkiakum (8-2 in 2012)

15. Concrete (8-3 in 2012)