(New Message)The Wolf Pups Shine
After returning from their field trip, the Jr. High had only two days of practice to prepare for a football game with North Douglas. It is astonishing that they won by a 37 – 19 margin. The Wolves scored first, but ND roared back with a score of their own. This was a battle until Damon Harvey stepped up with some hard-nosed tackles and Tyler Hodges ran wild for 4 touchdowns. After only another two days of practice the Wolves raided the nest of the Yoncolla Eagles. Without the services of Tyler Hodges or Matt Scarbrough the pups faced a big, strong, and fast team. The Wolves were undaunted and limited the Eagles to a 27 – 6 victory. It started with the Wolves recovering their on-side kick and playing the Eagles to 0 – 0 for the first quarter. At the half it was 12 - zip—and the pups were still within reach of a victory. As the injuries mounted, Jase Fuller was pressed into service as our 4th quarterback and the pups sometimes found themselves playing in positions they were unfamiliar with, but gamely filled in. The lone touchdown was scored by Kevin Smith from the newly added spread offense. It was fun to watch, but the day belonged to the defense. Jase Fuller made 8 tackles, John Lander added three, and Raymond Hickey added a “pursuit” tackle, the likes of which are only seen in NFL games. Gideon Ward helped the cause by playing several different positions on the line and in the backfield. The steady play of center Ryan Eichmann, long snapper (the toughest position in football) Bryce Odowd, tackles Kolby Orrison, Cory Gizzle, and Dustin Klooster kept the Wolves in the hunt. Damon Harvery and Kevin Avery, as usual, provided some excitement from their running back positions. Carter Ellis seemed to be everywhere. He played linebacker, QB, running back, and any other position the pups needed. Trey McNeil added to the party from the variety of positions he was asked to play. The Game Ball for the ND goes to Tyler Hodges for his prolific scoring. Not bad for playing the running back position for the first time. For the Yoncalla game the Game Ball goes to Kevin Smith for stepping in at QB literally at game time and for some solid defensive plays. After the game I asked, “What did we do well?” They said “We tackled.” “We had good pursuit.” “We wrapped up.” “We cut blocked.” “We ran hard.” “We played until the whistle blew.” All that they said was music to my ears. A coach can’t ask for anything more than what was given. Coach Fergy |
After powering through Powers in a 60-44 contest, the Wolves fell prey to Butte Falls 62-26. Even in a lopsided loss there were good performances. Bryar Zimmerman made a ton of tackles and Travis Fuller demonstrated that he is also a stalwart on defense. Ryan Hillicker played well on both sides of the ball.
It's easy to have character when you win, but the true test of one's mettle comes after facing adversity. I know that each one of the Wolves will look at "The Man in the Glass" and come out strong for the next game against Triad. The Junior High will be taking on North Douglas this Wednesday. Don't miss what seems to be an evenly matched contest. coach Ferguson |
The Junior High football team traveled to Camas Valley where they played 4 teams in 4 magnificant quarters. At center was Ryan Eichmann flanked by stalwart tackles John Lander and Kolby Orrison. The ends were capped by Jase Fuller and Carter Ellis.
Matt Yarbrough took command of the backfield from his QB position and he dished the pigskin off to Damon Harvey and Keven Smith. Their hard-nosed running put the leather into the endzone several times. Getting in their licks on offense and defense were Bryce Odowd, Cory Grizzle, and Dustin Klooster. Gideon Ward ran for a score and our 66 pound, "you gotta see him to believe him," scat-back, Kevin Avery added 3 more! This team proves the old saying "It's not the size of the dog that's in the fight, it's the size of the fight that's in the dog." They are so fun to watch you won't want to miss a game. coach Ferguson |
(New Message)The Wolves played Perrydale in a see-saw battle that ended with the Pirates getting a slight edge in a 54-46 battle. The thriller was played at West Salem High and included a stellar performance from QB, Travis Fuller who ran and passed for scores. Bronson Owens delivered bone-crunching blows as time and again he gained yardage with his gutsy, second-effort running.
After falling behind the highly ranked Pirates by two scores at the half, the Wolves could have tucked their tails between their legs, but they came howling back and regained the lead. Brandon Lane provided some excitement by busting through holes created by our high-octane front line anchored by: Cody O’Sullivan, Ryan Hillicker, Chance Walter, and capped on the ends by pass-catchers Bryar Zimmerman and Andrew Quinn. The Pirates returned a vaunted receiver corps, but our deep backs: Travis Fuller, Tyrel Ott, and Derek Armstrong kept them stymied much of the game. The football took some strange bounces on the Perrydale kick-offs allowing them to recover 3 on-side kicks that led to their scoring surge late in the game. One of the things I liked best about our performance in the game was the never-say-die spirit of players like Brandon Hayward and AJ Acevedo. They cheered their teammates on from the sidelines, but stayed ready to go in the second the call might from the coach. In all sports, enthusiastic, team-first “holler guys” are much appreciated. Another bright spot was the tackling clinic given by hard-nosed player Chance Walter. On our kick-off he thundered down the field, zeroed in on the ball carrier and then slowed up, got into an ideal football position and delivered a perfect form tackle on the hapless runner. He brought the Pirate to the artificial turf like he was wrestling with a 200 pound pig. After all, Chance knows about pigs, he recently took second place in the state fair! Coach Ferguson |
(New Message)
The Feed Lot restaurant was a great place to discuss football strategy with coach Forman. We licked our chops over the burgers and the football talent we hoped to see turn out for the first official practice on August 18th. Returning lettermen include Andrew Quinn, Derek Fuller, Ryan Hillicker, Tyrel Ott, Chance Walter, Bronson Owens, Cody O'Sullivan, and Bryan Zimmerman. The squad is rounded out by fourteen other highly talented hopefuls whom Coach Forman expects to take the Wolves to the state championship game! Go Wolves! Coach Ferguson (I deliciously recommend the Ken Griffey Sr. Burger at the Feed Lot!) |