Wednesday, November 1, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Outlaws JV program builds football players
By Jim Cornelius
News Editor
The Outlaws junior var-
sity football program is
working hard to lay the foun-
dation for future success for
the Outlaws.
Twenty-four student ath-
letes were on the roster of
this year’s JV squad, which
compiled a 2-5 record.
Matt Wessel, one of four
coaches for the program, told
The Nugget that, while the
team plays to win, the focus
is on development.
“We’re more concerned
about getting the kids out
there than we are about win-
ning,” he said. The key goal
is to make sure athletes have
“a really great football expe-
rience. The only way those
things are going to happen is
if they’re on the field.”
Playing time and good
technique are foundations
of the program instilled by
coaches Wessel, Doug Hull,
Paul Patton and Alex Ludwig.
Wessel noted that Outlaws
Head Football Coach Neil
Fendall is closely involved
with the JV squad, helping
to ensure that the values and
systems of the program are
consistent.
“I think Fendall has done
a great job in that respect,”
Wessel said.
Safety is a critical con-
cern, Wessel said. Players,
coaches and parents are much
more aware of concussion
concerns than they were even
a couple of years ago. Proper
tackling technique is vital to
prevention of head injuries.
“We teach rugby tackling
techniques,” Wessel said.
“We teach it the right way.
We really focus on safety and
injuries and how to prevent
them through proper tackling
technique.”
Since rugby does not use
helmets, tackling is done with
the shoulders and arms, with
the head up and off to the side
to avoid impact. That tech-
nique is pervasive in football
now, all the way up to the
NFL, as the game seeks to
minimize brain injuries.
Concussion protocols are
now well understood, and a
strong effort is made to com-
municate the importance of
being aware of and reporting
any concussion symptoms —
from everyone involved in
the game.
Wessel said another key
factor in injury prevention
is having enough players on
the roster. Playing time is
important, but too much time
on the field leads to fatigue;
fatigue leads to breakdown
in technique; breakdown in
technique leads to injury.
“The numbers actually
help the overall health of the
program and the health of the
individual player,” Wessel
said.
Asked to point to a high-
light of the season, Wessel
recalled a game against
Cascade, which the Outlaws
lost by one point, 16-15, when
their opponent converted a
last-minute two-point play.
Author will
read essays
on Coast
Range
PHOTO BY MATT WESSEL
Patrick Dingeman scored his first career touchdown for the Outlaws JV
squad this year.
The Outlaws were excited to
have played so competitively,
but also angry at seeing the
game slip away.
“To me, that was a sign
that they were becoming
football players,” Wessel
said.
He also recalled a 33-18
victory over Junction City,
which featured a touchdown
run by Patrick Dingeman —
his first in a four-year JV
career.
For Wessel, football offers
important opportunities for
student athletes to learn, to
test themselves and adapt and
overcome adversity while
working together toward a
goal. With a proper consid-
eration of safety, he believes
that parents should be com-
fortable putting their young
Outlaws out on the field,
where the benefits outweigh
the risks.
“I don’t think there’s a
sport that creates unity like
football,” he said.
On Friday, November 17
at 6 p.m. at Paulina Springs
Books in Sisters, debut author
Nick Neely will read from his
collection of essays in “Coast
Range: A Collection from the
Pacific Edge.”
Neely’s essays thought-
fully explore the intersec-
tion of the edge of the land
with the edge of the sea, set
in the California and Oregon
coastal ranges. He spent six
months living off-the-grid
focusing on the interactions
of humans and the natural
world. With reflective and
thoughtful prose, his essays
share observations of nature
and the records of human
history.
Paulina Springs Books is
located at 252 W. Hood Ave.
Call 541-549-0866 for more
information.
Classifieds are online at
NuggetNews.com
— Search them anytime! —
WHY
Aveda?
™
Organically derived
plant-based for a
healthier you and
healthier hair.
Saturday, November 4 • 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Bend Elks Lodge • 63120 Boyd Acres Rd.
(North end of Bend, at Empire Avenue)
SISTERS DENTURE
For more information call 541-221-4426
DENTURES:
Partial, Full or Implants
for all ages.
541-549-0929
— 36 years experience —
LOCALLY OWNED
15
hair | massage | nails | facials | makeup
541-549-1784
161-C N. Elm St.
House-Smoked Turkeys
for Thanksgiving
g
g Day
y
Fully cooked • Limited quantity
E RIB
l
Reserve yours today by calling, stopping g PRIM
ble
v
o a a i il l a
by, or emailing sistersmeat@gmail.com. a ls
541-719-1186 • 110 S. Spruce St.
Open 9 AM -7 PM Every Day
MEATS • CHEESES • EATERY • DRINKERY