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38 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2007 Proper tackling a primary focus High schools ensuring players are ready to hit, and to be hit By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR E arlier this month, Kevin Everett was racing down the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium, intent on limiting the Denver Broncos' kickoff return and preserving the Buffalo Bills' one-point lead. Seconds later, the Bills' reserve tight end was lying face down on the turf, motionless and in a fight for his life, let alone the ability to ever walk again, after sustaining a catastrophic spinal cord injury. It can happen that quickly in football, even to a pro, one of the top-trained players in the world. Imagine how fast things can change, then, for a youngster suiting up for his first season of high school gridiron action. "The kids want to play, but they don't fully appreciate that it's a controlled violent sport," says Loyola junior coach Dan O'Hara. "It's as much physical as it is mental. You have to be prepared to hit as well as get hit." That's why the Halton Secondary School Athletic Association goes to great lengths, according to convener Tam Morrison and several local coaches, to ensure players are adequately primed for the full-speed, head-on collisions that take place on the football field. "(In some cases), it's little kids playing a man's sport," Abbey Park senior coach Mike Linton, a former receiver with the McMaster Marauders, says. "You really (have to) think about their future." Minimum of 10 preseason practices As part of the HSSAA's risk management and safety guidelines (which also apply to other contact sports like hockey and rugby), coaches must hold at least 10 preseason practices and demonstrate progressions within those practices to teach students the proper techniques involved in tackling. "The first thing we do, right from the get-go and before they get into equipment, is make them aware that they are playing a contact sport... a collision sport," says Holy Trinity junior coach Joe Moscato. "If you don't follow through with the proper techniques, if you're not listening to the coaching or not applying what we're talking about, you will get injured." Moscato says players begin by practicing form tackling, without equipment, on dummies, concentrating on keeping their head up. Once those fundamentals are in place, they move on to step-by-step form tackling on other players. When the coaching staff is comfortable with what it sees, players can finally engage in full-contact drills. "To an extent, they are graded," O'Hara adds. "We work in groups, and the strong kids go to one side, and the weaker to the other. We make sure the weaker kids don't progress to the next level until they are ready. For some kids, the best place for them to be in their first year is the sideline." Fundamentals aside, the other essential thing for players to remember is to remain attentive and aggressive, the coaches say. "When you're tentative is when you're going to get hurt," says O'Hara. Of course, even exercising all the safety measures in the world won't prevent injuries from happening. Everett's form on his life-altering tackle wasn't that bad, Moscato points out. Everett's head was slightly lowered as he ran into Denver's Domenik Hixon, but not to the extent that one would expect a broken neck to ensue. "I've been involved with football at least 24 years as a player and a coach, and I've never been associated with a neck injury like that... anything close to that," Moscato says. "It's a freak thing. It really is." MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER ROUGH GAME: A convocation of Abbey Park Eagles surrounds White Oaks Wildcats' Jason Leslie during a preseason senior high school football scrimmage last week. Proper tackling form is stressed by the Halton Secondary School Athletic Association, according to convener Tam Morrison and several area coaches. Football divisions realigned once again The Halton Secondary School Athletic Association seems to change its senior football division structure about as often as the Toronto Argonauts change their starting quarterback. HIGH SCHOOLFOOTBALL In the ongoing search for the ideal balance of parity and quality football, the HSSAA has decided this season to go back to a two-tier format -- sort of. Teams were segregated into two divisions to start the season this week, but the one division (Division 1/2) will be split again at playoff time The other tier (Division 3), for the smaller programs, will have its own playoff in the fall. Abbey Park, Holy Trinity, T.A. Blakelock, Loyola, Oakville Trafalgar and St. Thomas Aquinas will be battling the Burlington big boys this year in Division 1/2 competition. The top two teams in both the Richardson and Volpe Divisions will qualify for the Division 1 playoffs, while third- and fourth-place finishers will compete for a Division 2 title. White Oaks and Iroquois Ridge are in Division 3 this season. "I think there are three definite levels in Halton," says Abbey Park coach Mike Linton. "There are the tough tier 1 teams that will always be good, then there's a bunch of schools -- us included -- in the middle area that can beat each other week to week. Then there's the third tier with small populations that don't have as many kids coming out. I'm not sure how the middle-of-the-pack schools will compete with the tier 1 teams, but I guess we'll get a sense of it (in the upcoming weeks)." Following are brief synopses of what to expect from five local squads this season. Calls to coaches at Holy Trinity, Oakville Trafalgar and T.A. Blakelock were not returned. Abbey Park Eagles A school known for its track-andfield prowess, it should come as little surprise that the Eagles' main strength is speed. Running back Mike Trnkus has the ability to break plays outside the tackles, while Dan Parr, Matt Mahaichuk and Mike Goddard are speedy receivers at quarterback Jeff Burton's disposal. The Eagles will also use Cam Moffatt to pound the ball inside. On defence, Abbey Park is led by linebackers Chris Wiggins, Jamie Elliott and Tony Clark. Linton said a Division 2 playoff appearance is the Eagles' goal this season. Loyola Hawks With a number of key returning seniors, Loyola also has its sights set on a playoff berth. "We have a good mixture of seniors and Grade 11 students moving up (from junior)," said Hawks coach Vince Riviglia. "We hope some of our young players can step up and make an immediate impact." Expected to play important roles for Loyola on both sides of the ball this year are Alex Conti (tailback/linebacker), Jonathan Aguirre (running back/linebacker), Tyler Malenfant (fullback/linebacker) and Marco Rodrigues (receiver/defensive back). St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders In three-down football, a reliable passing game is a major advantage. Aquinas certainly feels like it has that. The Raiders are quarterbacked by Ryley Wright, recently named the top pivot in the Ontario Varsity Football League, and Ontario's most valuable See Wildcats page 39