Football turnout portends good year for dw

High School football is right around the corner with the first game scheduled for Fri., Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. in Waitsburg versus Columbia-Burbank. Practices are up and running Monday thru Friday. Troy Larsen, in his fifth year as head coach, was smiling when he told me there are over forty kids turning out including fifteen freshmen. Last year, the team only had around twenty-two players, total. This years' team also has nine returning lettermen.

If you're a football fan, then rule changes should come as no surprise. Troy told me that most of the rule changes this year are to address safety. Several concern collisions on kickoffs. Another addresses a personal foul behind the play. This is basically someone not looking, and you hit them. In order to qualify for the post-season this year, a team needs to finish in the top five in their league. A crossover game is played after the regular season games. Winning that game gets you into the playoffs.

Some of the safety measures implemented by the coaching staff include the following:

Contact drills are limited to only 20 minutes a week.

Riddell helmets are worn by the team and reconditioned every two years.

Tackling techniques focus on more on wrapping than collision which has become more prevalent in both the college and professional levels.

The boys and coaches would love to see a good community turnout at the Sept. 6 home field season opener.