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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2021)
SN Siuslaw News Sports & Lifestyle SPORTS CALENDAR Siuslaw and Mapleton All events subject to change August 28 • CS Lewis Invitational — 12:50 p.m. August 31 • SHS Volleyball vs. Phoenix at Sutherlin High — 5:30 p.m. • SHS Volleyball at Sutherlin — 7 p.m. • MHS Volleyball vs. Eddyville Charter — 6 p.m. September 1 • SHS Soccer vs. Creswell — 6:30 p.m. THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM | SATURDAY EDITION | AUGUST 28, 2021 | $1.00 Florence’s Rods N Rhodies Car Show Ready to Roll Top hot rods, Communitywide Garage Sale return to Florence Sept. 10-12 Florence is revving-up for both the annual Rods N Rhodies Invitational Car Show and Benefit and the Communi- ty-wide Garage Sale. This year’s edition takes place primarily in and around His- toric Old Town Florence on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10 and 11. The Commu- nity-wide Garage Sale continues through Sunday, Sept. 12. “At Rods N Rhodies, you know you’ll see some of the West Coast’s most gorgeous, amazing, awe-inspiring hot rods all around town,” said or- ganizer Gary Cargill. “Up to 125 of the west coast’s best high-end hot rods, rat rods, and custom cruisers from 1976 and earlier will be in town. Some are worth up to a quarter-million dol- lars.” Though known primarily for the an- nual September event, Rods N Rhodies became its own local volunteer-led non- profit in 2018 with a renewed vision to provide automotive assistance to locals in need. This year’s event will be a benefit for their mission and goals. “It’s a high-octane weekend at a spec- tacular time of year here in Florence,” said Florence Area Chamber of Com- merce President/CEO Bettina Hannigan. “We can’t know for sure right now what the COVID-19 regulations are going to be, but we expect all visitors and locals to Classic cars shine in Historic Old Town Florence during the annual Rods N Rhodies weekend, coming up on Sept. 10 and 11. See CARS page 2B September 2 • MHS Volleyball at McKenzie — 6 p.m. September 3 • MHS Football vs. Jewell — 7 p.m. Tide Tables Entrance Siuslaw River High Tide Low Tide August 28 5:32 a.m. / 4.8 11:23 a.m. / 1.7 5:34 p.m. / 5.8 August 29 6:33 a.m. / 4.4 12:30 a.m. / 1.0 6:15 p.m. / 5.6 12:03 p.m. / 2.3 August 30 7:49 a.m. / 4.1 1:31 a.m. / 1.0 7:06 p.m. / 5.5 12:55 p.m. / 2.7 August 31 9:16 a.m. / 4.1 2:39 a.m. / 1.0 8:07 p.m. / 5.5 2:07 p.m. / 3.0 September 1 10:33 a.m. / 4.3 3:45 a.m. / 0.8 9:12 p.m. / 5.6 3:26 p.m. / 3.1 Mapleton football makes the move to six-man this season By Zeahna Young Siuslaw News This school year, Maple- ton’s football program is going through some sizable changes, including moving from an eight- man to six-man style of play, as well as hiring an entirely new coaching staff. Luckily for the Sailors, both new coaches are alumni themselves, so although the modifications to the program are notable, familiar faces to both the kids and the community will be helping guide Mapleton foot- ball into the future. Mapleton’s new head high school football coach will be Ty- ler Beers-Krueger, who graduated in the Class of 2012 and is start- ing his fourth year working for Mapleton School District. Coach Krueger previously coached mid- dle school football for Mapleton. “Last year, they didn’t have middle school football because of COVID, but I started coach- ing middle school years ago,” Krueger said. “We only had two actual seasons out of those years; one was cancelled due to COVID, and one we didn’t have a season because of not having enough kids. That’s when we went from eight-man to six-man.” The position Krueger is filling is a special one, as Mapleton’s previous head football coach, Jeff Greene, was at the helm of the program for 20 years. Krueger understands the importance, as he played for Greene himself when he was at Mapleton. “I feel like I’m stepping into a big pair of shoes, definitely, and it’s going to be a lot to try and live up to,” said Krueger. Luckily, Greene has been a willing mentor to Krueger since he started coaching. “I’ve talked with him, and I’ve also talked with another old coach from Triangle Lake at the middle school level,” said Krueger. “Coach Greene did a lot more with eight-man football, and that’s what I played when I was in school.” When Krueger first started coaching middle school, Greene gave him one of his old play- books, and he was able to teach the kids that “Now I’m having to redo a lit- tle bit of that and figure out some of the new rules of six-man,” he said. “I’m making sure that we have enough plays and enough stuff that the kids can compre- hend and understand easily.” Another benefit Krueger brings to the table is the fact that he has had at least some experi- ence coaching kids in six-man football. According to the coach, it was quite an adjustment in the beginning. “My first year of coaching six- man in middle school was defi- nitely difficult because I hadn’t been told any of the new rules, besides that you had to get 15 yards for a first down, and the quarterback can’t run or keep the ball; it has to be pitched or hand- ed off every time once the ball is hiked,” said Krueger. “I’m having a lot of help from my assistant, Tucker Ford. He’s also an alum, and him and I actually played to- gether when we were in school.” Ford came on last school year as an assistant basketball coach for the high school, and also played for Greene, having gradu- ated in 2015. “It’s been nice because the kids know me, so it’s not really a new face to them, and I feel like that’s a big thing with a new coach,” said Ford. With all of the adjustments being made to the program, fa- miliarity with Krueger and Ford have made the shift much easier for all involved. “Transitioning from eight- man to six-man, there have been learning experiences for not just the athletes, but also for us coaches,” Ford added. The change to six-man for Mapleton might have come ear- lier, but the Sailors had a unique circumstance in the last year that caused them to hold off on the switch at that time. “We just graduated one of the more athletic classes Mapleton has seen in quite a while, and one of the best athletes Mapleton has ever seen, in at least decades,” said Ford. “And it’s not like we are trying to replace that, because in reality, we’re trying to replace the entire system that we had last year, because changing from eight-man to six-man is making us do that. So, it’s been a lot of learning as we go. “The reality is, Mapleton should have transitioned last year, but because of the level of player that JJ Neece was, Jeff Greene did not want to go down from eight-man to six-man, be- cause it wasn’t going to be worth it for the team that we had; they could compete in eight-man just as well. If they would have played six-man, they probably would have won a state championship, but it wouldn’t have looked as good for the players because it was kind of easy, and just not as much competition.” Greene and his players were dedicated to elevating the level of play for Neece, who as a result will be playing football for West- ern Oregon University this fall. This doesn’t happen often—be- cause Mapleton is such a small school, generally, athletes like Neece don’t have a chance to get noticed, which is why it was so important to everyone in the football program to try and hold on to eight-man until that point. “That’s what I’ve seen my en- tire life growing up in Mapleton, at least since high school; you see a really good athlete, but because of the fact that they’re not facing competition, they don’t make it [to play] beyond high school,” said Ford. He said that the teams Maple- ton played six years ago when See FOOTBALL page 3B September 2 11:27 a.m. / 4.6 4:44 a.m. / 0.5 10:12 p.m. / 5.8 4:33 p.m. / 2.9 September 3 12:07 p.m. / 4.9 5:33 a.m. / 0.1 11:04 p.m. / 6.1 5:26 p.m. / 2.6 September 4 6:14 a.m. / -0.2 12:42 p.m. / 5.2 6:11 p.m. / 2.2 11:52 p.m. / 6.4 September 5 6:52 a.m. / -0.5 6:52 p.m. / 1.8 1:13 p.m. / 5.5 Time Out By Coach Lloyd Little Retired teacher, coach & game official With more than 55 years as an athlete, coach, parent and spectator, Lloyd Little shares what he’s learned about sports from his multiple points of view. Aches and Pains of Sports The fall sport seasons are un- der way at Siuslaw and Mapleton High Schools. The bumps and bruises of football, the errant kicks into another player’s body in soccer, the floor burns and arm stings of volleyball, and the occasional branch scrapes from trails in cross country — each of these sports has their own pains of competition. If and when the coach or parent decides to have their athletes’ pain checked out by a doctor, one of the first questions asked by said doctor is to rate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10. When I studied human physiol- ogy at Pacific University, I learned that the pain response in the hu- man body is nearly identical for all. The human reaction to the triggering of this pain response can vary. Two athletes experienc- ing a similar injury may project their pain differently. If both are taken to the doctor, one athlete may say the pain is at a 2 level and another may say they are at the 7 or 8 level. Some athletes will proj- ect their pain beyond 10 to try to boast how tough they are. In 1986, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Since that time, I have often been asked by friends, family (they stopped asking years ago) and doctors what level of pain I am experi- encing. Until my recent fall and rotator cuff surgery, I usually put my pain level at a 7 or 8, with an occasional 9 during an exacerba- tion. The office in the Slocom Cen- ter for Orthopedics in Eugene had a more defined pain scale on their wall. In place of the smiley faces you may have seen in your doctors’ office, there were words and descriptions about pain. I See LITTLE page 2B