FALL SPORTS PREVIEW
THE ASTORIAN
SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2019 • 23
JEWELL
FOOTBALL
Coach: Will Beatty, 1st year
2018: 1-5 (1-5 Casco)
Key losses: Ryan Kane
Key returners: Aiden Bixel,
Jr., Cyrus Blodgett, So.,
Bradley Rogers, So., Josh
Ruch, Sr.
Key newcomer: Justin
Wammack, Fr.
SCHEDULE
Sept. 6 Gilchrist 6 p.m.
Sept. 13 at McKenzie 7 p.m.
Sept. 20 at Alsea 7 p.m.
Sept. 27 Eddyville Charter
6 p.m.
BEATTY TAKES OVER
JEWELL PROGRAM
Oct. 4 at Triangle Lake 7 p.m.
Oct. 11 Sherman/Condon
6 p.m.
Oct. 18 Crow 6 p.m.
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Justin Wammack passes a football deep to a receiver.
By GARY HENLEY
The Astorian
I
n six-man, C lass 1A football, the
rosters can be pretty small. But
the numbers can get pretty big,
once the scoring starts.
It’s a wide-open game, as the Jewell
Blue Jays discovered last year, in their
(and the OSAA’s) fi rst season of six-
man football.
Coach Joel Johnston did what he
could with what he had, going 1-5 with
nine players over a six-game schedule.
The Jays highlighted their season
with a 44-7 home victory over Triangle
Lake, in between losses to McKenzie
(79-13), Eddyville Charter (58-24) and
Gilchrist (78-41).
Jewell had three home games in
September, and closed with three road
games in October.
That’s life in 1A football — you go
wherever you can schedule a game.
“We have some road trips,” says Will
Beatty, who takes over as the Jewell
head coach. “Alsea and Triangle Lake
are over three hour trips. No over night-
ers, though, this year.”
The Jays also have a game sched-
uled at McKenzie, but the remaining
four games are at home.
Jewell had eight players on the fi rst
offi cial day of practice, but Beatty was
expecting two to four more players.
“It’s still going to be a small team,
but for the most part, everybody’s
played at the high school level except
for four,” he said. “We have about half
new, half returning. I’m really looking
forward to my freshman quarterback
(Justin Wammack). We’re thinking he
should be able to connect with some of
our older guys, Aiden Bixel (Jr.) in par-
ticular. He’s a pretty good athlete.
“Justin was quarterback for last
year’s middle school team, so I’ve had
him all the way through,” said Beatty,
who served as the middle school coach.
“This will be our fourth year together.
So I know what he can do, and he’s
quite the talent.”
The lone senior is Josh Ruch, while
Damien Anderson and Bixel are the
only juniors.
The “large” sophomore class has
four players, including Ruben Ander-
son, Cyrus Blodgett, Reid Duncan and
Bradley Rogers.
Wammack and Corey Crawford are
freshmen.
“It’s nice to have a little bit of size
in there,” Beatty said of six-man foot-
ball. “But for the most part, it’s a fast
game, fast pace … some passing league
type stuff.”
As far as the Casco League race goes,
Beatty said, “they were all pretty com-
petitive last year (even Triangle Lake
later defeated Jewell to end the season).
“Especially when they all have num-
bers and they can alternate players,”
he said. “By the third and fourth quar-
ters, it really makes a difference. Pretty
much any team that’s bigger than us is
someone to watch out for.”