Burg To Host Valley Elite

WAITSBURG - Waitsburg may have a new team to cheer for this spring.

Jorge Martinez and Jeff Knowles, both of Walla Walla, have approached the Waitsburg School Board with their idea of starting a minor-league football team in the Touchet Valley and they want to use Waitsburg's football field for practices and games.

The school board last Wednesday night unanimously approved going forward with the proposal for the football team pending final approval of a writ- ten agreement.

"The potential for the community is kind of neat," said Stephanie Wooderchak, the secondary principal and athletic director for Waitsburg High School.

Board Chairman Ross Ha­mann presented the proposal to the board last Wednesday night. He said he had been approached by Knowles and Martinez about two weeks ago after a home football game. Both men have been minor league coaches most recently helping the Hermiston Hurricanes in Hermiston, Ore. Both men are from Walla Walla and have Waits­burg ties. Martinez is married to a Waitsburg woman and Knowles is related to school board member Dr. Randy Pearson.

The men would like to create their own 35- to 50-member foot­ball team for players age 18 and older and they would like to prac­tice once a week and host games in Waitsburg, Hamann said.

The Blue Mountain Stars minor league football team played one season on Waits­burg's field in 2004. The new team's season would run from March 1 through the first week of June, Hamann said. The team would play against other minor league teams in Spokane, Seattle, Wenatchee and Yakima. Mar­tinez said tryouts will be open to anyone 18 and older who are interested in playing. The players are not compensated. Waitsburg is being considered to host the team because Martinez had at­tended a Blue Mountain Stars game during its season and was amazed at the large spectator turnout and excited by the com­munity support.

"You don't see support like that in bigger towns," he said. "And we have heard so many good things from the past."

Hamann's main concern once he heard the idea was that he did not want the new team to interfere with student use of the football field in the spring. On Oct. 5, the men sent Hamann a proposal.

The coaches offered to split the gate income with the dis­trict after the referees had been paid. There would be about four games played in Waitsburg on weekends. For night games, they would increase the amount paid to the district to help pay for elec­tricity for the lights. The coaches would also take care of painting the field and covering the insur­ance costs. The school district would be expected to maintain the field. There will be no alcohol sold nor any smoking allowed at the facility, Hamann said.

School board Member Mari­lyn Johnson said she had some concerns over the wear and tear on the field from the team.

Hamann said wear and tear would be one of the downfalls of hosting the team and the weather in April and May can be chilly.

However, a major bonus of hosting the team is that the coaches expect 500 to 1,000 spectators to attend each event. Hamann said he believes the facility can handle it because there were about 1,000 people who attended the recent WP- DeSales game. Students or local community groups could work concessions as a fundraiser and the whole town could benefit from the influx of people.

Hamann added he believes the benefits of having the team will outweigh the negative as­pects. The amount of income earned from the gate income could help pay for improvements made to the fields lighting and sound systems this summer, he added. The team would also help improve the field such as repaint­ing the bleachers, Hamann said. Hamann said the coaches wanted to know sooner rather than later if the team could use the field so they could set a schedule and start recruiting. Martinez said he already has verbal commitment from some locals to play.

"The guys are on the edge of their chairs," Martinez said.

And to Martinez, this team would be all about its players and the community. He said whatever name they choose, the Touchet Valley, Blue Mountain or Waitsburg Elite, the team will be owned and operated by the team and the community.