Youth Football Begins Season

The Blue Hill Youth Football team began practices today with 22 participants. The team, which consists of 4th, 5th and 6th graders, will practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 4 weeks before their first game on September 20. The Blue Hill Youth Football team participates in the Minden Optimist Youth Football League. This year, the league has 11 teams including; Alma, Axtell, Blue Hill, Franklin, Gibbon, Hildreth-Wilcox, Kenesaw, Minden (2 teams), Red Cloud, and Southern Valley (Oxford). Games are held on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. Each team will be scheduled five games between September 20 and the end of October. Schedules are expected to be out later this week. Members of this years Blue Hill Youth Football team include; 6th Grade: Alec Eiseman, James Fuller, Jayden Hamel, Dalton Herbeck, Adam Krueger, Mitch Krueger, Andrew Mai, Alec Meyer, Austin Rose, Kyl Rouse, Kyle Tolle, and Jacob Van Boening. 5th Grade: Johnny Bauman, Tyler Dack, Michael Hiller, Dakota Jameson Austin Kelley, and Kody Manns. 4th Grade: Jacob Canterburry, Tristan Kelley, Ethan Sharp & Joel Smith. Coaches: Jesse Alber, Dan Dack and Greg Smith. Today's practice included introduction to stretching, calisthenics and agility drills. Player's also competed in a timed 30 yard dash, a timed agility drills and the seated shot put which is designed to measure upper body strength. Jayden Hamel and Alec Meyer proved to be the fastest players, Ethan Sharp and Joel Smith were the nimblest and Mitch Krueger and James Fuller were the winner's of the strong man competition. Seven players tested their hand at open tryouts for the coveted quarter-back position. They were Tyler Dack, Alec Eiseman, Jayden Hamel, Dalton Herbeck, Kody Manns, Andrew Mai and Kyl Rouse. All seven players performed admirably. Following lasts years 5-1 inaugural season, the Blue Hill Youth Football coaching staff is very optimistic about this years team which includes six returning starters and a host of talented new comers, including five new 6th graders.