Ashland - Hey, they've already made Sports Illustrated!

Thursday was my first ever behind-the-scenes look at Ashland's football program. Coach Hall let me observe a weight training/conditioning session followed by an on the field practice session. The weight training room and adjoining gym were booster funded and might provide one of the best gym/weight room combinations in the state. In my interview with coach Hall, he talks about the tradition and pride associated with the Grizzlie football program and how this year's team will try and maintain that tradition.


GH is Gary Haliski
CH is Head Coach Charlie Hall

GH: How many kids are out for football?
CH: We have about 50 sophomores, juniors and seniors and about 20 freshmen.

GH: Who are some of your returning key players?
CH: Our receiving group is solid. Sam Geisslinger and junior Quaid Walters are the wide outs. Taylor Humphrey will be in the slot. Franklin Lime Ma will be in the mix, but watch him at defensive end. Juniors Jon Volz and Austin Chandler are looking good at running back. Volz had a strong summer camp. He'll be our starting running back with Chandler seeing quite a bit of time. Our only starting returning offensive lineman is Andres Guteirrez, an all league guard last year. Alec Ralston will be left tackle and will be back on the D line, where he was all league last year. We graduated a lot of linemen last year, so we've got some new starters - Logan Hartick will be our right guard and Conor Morrison will be on our D line.. Mason Montgomery, a soph, will move to center.

GH: That leaves us with the one big question every team in the league has, because no one has their own quarterback coming back. Have you settled on your QB?
CH: Oh, yes. Danial White. He was a frosh last year. He's a lefty. He's really picked up his game and the players respond well to him. He's put a bit of pressure on me because he was in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd after going 19 for 23 against the Japanese in our annual Pacific Rim Bowl game. If I don't start him and we lose, everyone's going to say, "How could you not start a kid who was in SI?"  We've got a good back up at QB, RJ Attebury.

GH: Last year you got off to a slow start with Klamath Union and Marist last year, had a close win over Churchill and then finished strong until meeting eventual state champ Sherwood. How do you think you'll start this year and will your offense be as explosive as last year?
CH: There's an explanation for our slow start last year, and it has to do with me. Last year, we committed ourselves to the running game and went to the Pistol offense to start the season. Well, the pistol just didn't fire. The pistol was a dud! So we went back to the spread and we're going to stay with the spread this year.

GH: You open league with two tough games against Marist and Churchill. How are you going to get the kids, and especially the new QB, ready for those high stakes games?
CH: The Pacific Rim Bowl game against the Japanese should be a big confidence builder. It's hard to tell just how good the Japanese were, but they were bigger and stronger than us and we had lost to them five straight years. So we were underdogs, and the kids rose to the occasion. We'll be underdogs against Marist, so it's good that our kids know they can win even though they are the underdogs. A little fun sidenote is that our QB, Danial White, and Marist's QB, Kamerun Smith, played each other in a Pop Warner state championship game. White's team won.

GH: How do you like being in the Midwestern league - the competition and the travel?
CH: The kids love it. They get out of school to go on the road on Friday's. It's fun. We've got a place in Eugene we always eat. We always try to do a walk thru at the University of Oregon, which is nice exposure to a college atmosphere for the kids. Even before last year, we were playing the Midwestern schools quite often. Springfield and Willamette, and we had a bit of a rivalry with Marshfield. I love the conference, because it's good and there's lots of parity.

GH: I really felt a strong sense of tradition as I toured your facilities. The Jim Nagle Strength and Conditioning Center, references to Coach K (Kitchell), the recent booster funded upgrade of the Fitness center and the accompanying gym. How do you try and continue all of that with the changing dynamics of the community? (Photo below of Nagle Center - a huge weightroom with adjoining conditioning gym.)

CH: The players definitely feel it. Nagel was head coach for 20 years through 2002, won three state titles and won the SOC title six times. Nagel instituted a successful model which I try and follow. There was a lot of emphasis on the little things. Plus a lot of the current coaches were assistants to Nagel. That's provided a lot of continuity which helps sustain the tradition.

    Coach Kitchell was an assistant to Nagel for almost all of Nagel's career. Kitchell really connected with kids and was highly motivational. He continued on with the football program as an assistant after NagelKitch was highly respected all throughout the community for all of the things he taught us. His legacy lives on. A lot of today's players were in grade school and followed football when Nagel and Kitchell were coaches so those names mean something to the players.

     The continued tremendous booster support as seen in the remodeled weight room lets the players know we expect the tradition to continue. There are a lot of alternative activities that steal kids away from traditional sports programs such as football. There are some kids who would be great football players who are playing water polo or snow boarding. That translates into not having as many players as we used to. So we focus on quality, not quantity. We challenge the players to improve to give themselves a chance at competing at the highest level. It's our job as staff to give them to tools that will give them the chance to succeed.

GH: Thanks Coach.

Interesting trivia: Sophomore quarterback Danial White's dad, Greg, was a member of the 1985 Ashland football team. That team was notable for going to the state playoffs after a 33 year playoff drought
Here's a link to one of many Coach Kitchell's tributes

Growing up in a sports family, I've still got my ears open to good coaching.  During the weight lifting, one of the Ashland players was by himself in a squat station.  A coach said, "Are you by yourself?"  The player said, "Yes".  The coach said, "No, you're not.  Go join those guys."  Weight lifting definitely improves an athlete, but improper technique or solo lifting can create a lifetime injury.  My hat is off to the coach for tactfully getting the player to follow proper weight room regimen.