The road to the big time in the sports world has to start somewhere.
For the estimated 60 boys ages 6 to 12 suiting up for South Whidbey Youth Football, that road begins every afternoon at Community Park in Langley.
It worked for quarterback Mark Iddins.
Iddins, of Clinton, went through the Islander youth football program, played as a Cougar for Langley Middle School, then transferred to Kamiak for his high school years. He’s now the starting quarterback for the Montana State Bobcats — they went 7-5 last season — in Bozeman.
Iddins stopped by the park recently to talk about football and the importance of learning the fundamentals.
“This is what got me in the game,” he said. “I learned about the instincts you need to be a good player, the basics of the game and how important it was to be tough in mind, body and spirit.”
In 1995, his first year with the youth program, his South Whidbey team played a championship game against Mountlake Terrace and won. Iddins is a senior and hopes to teach history and coach when he finishes college.
League president Jean Streitler had invited Iddins to come and explain the possibilities to youngsters eager to hear his story.
This year, the Islanders will play three of their eight games at home, starting Sept. 12.
“We’re hoping folks can come out and see the future of South Whidbey football,” Streitler said. “Besides offering a great experience on the field, we’re a kind of pipeline for island football. Many, if not most, of these kids will be on Cougar and Falcon teams.”
The boys are divided by age group into Pee Wee, Midget and Junior classifications.
Before practice, aspiring defensive lineman Trenton Piehler, 10, got a few pointers on the best way to deal with an opposing lineman from coach Ken Griffin.
Trenton was listening.
“He told me to maintain a three-point stance, keep my eyes straight ahead on the dummy’s number and make sure I used the correct hand placement,” he said.
The kids get lots of help from Falcon players such as TJ Russell and Corey Soto, plus volunteer coaches, most of whom tower over their charges.
“You’re gonna make mistakes and that’s OK, but you need to keep hustling all the time,” Griffin says as Soto hands off the ball to a Junior player learning the elementary moves of a running back.
On the sidelines, Laura Nance of Clinton watched as her son Christian, 7, studied the fine art of blocking and tackling.
“He loves doing that the best,” she said. “He’s never played before, and I wanted him to learn what he needs to be effective in a game.
“When they know how to do it right, they’ll be a lot safer out there,” she added.
Parents pay $150 for the training (the kids get to keep the jerseys) and they seem to get their money’s worth; the coaches drill the boys — using a mixture of patience, stern commands, loud shouts of “set” and solid raps on the helmet — in all the offensive and defensive moves they’ll require when action begins for real.Streitler said the teams will play at Community Park beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, Oct. 10 and Oct. 24.
The Junior team wants to sign up more sixth-graders. To learn more about Islander football, call Streitler at 360-914-7380.
Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or sports@southwhidbeyrecord.com.
