PHOTO BY JOHN LARSON

The Future Hawks used their wishbone offense to score four touchdowns against the Rottweilers during their scrimmage Aug. 23. Future Hawk running back Julian Dillon gets tackled during a scrimmage with the Rottweilers Aug. 23.

Future Hawks get first taste of competition

By John Larson

Puyallup Tribal Youth Center is fielding a football team this season. The Future Hawks got their first taste of competition Aug. 23 during Northwest Youth Sports Alliance’s Pre-Season Jamboree, held at the football stadium at Curtis High School in University Place. The team scrimmaged with the Rottweilers. Head coach Robin Robertson has implemented a wishbone offense, which uses three running backs and frequent use of quarterback pitchouts.

Running backs Julian Dillon and Ashanti Kendall displayed considerable success, each racking up long gains on numerous plays. On one Julian Dillon took a pitchout and ran to the right. He stumbled but kept his balance, then dashed down the sideline for a touchdown.

The big highlight for Ashanti Kendall was a play where he ran around left end, found no running lanes there, then cut back to the right for a long gain.

The Future Hawks will play in a 12 and under division this year in a league operated by Northwest Youth Sports Alliance, a partnership between Metro Parks and Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound. While the players are of differing ages, all are under the age of 12.

Robin Robertson has 19 players on the team. A few of them played on a team he coached last year through Al Davies Boys & Girls Club in Tacoma.

The team practices for two hours a day, five days a week at Chief Leschi Schools. They just received their pads a week before the jamboree, so they were just getting used to contact. Prior to getting the pads practices focused on conditioning drills and learning fundamentals. “We are working on fundamentals a lot,” Robin Robertson said. The players are learning every aspect of the game, including special team functions such as kickoffs and field goals.

The coach thinks his offense did well, noting they scored four touchdowns in the scrimmage compared to one for their opponent. The wishbone has been used with considerable success by some college programs, notably in the Big 12 Conference. The Oklahoma Sooners competed at the highest level of the college game using the wishbone in the 1970s and 1980s. But the offense has a certain amount of risk involved; with its heavy use of pitchouts, fumbles can be frequent. Many of the college programs that once used it have abandoned it as a result.

Robin Robertson said his running backs are well aware of this. “They are hanging on to the ball,” he said. “They know what is expected of them.”

Teams using the wishbone do not throw often but they will pass occasionally to mix things up. Robin Robertson said this aspect of the offense did not get used much during the scrimmage because one of the primary wide receivers, Evan Miles, was not available to play due to a family emergency.

The Future Hawks play their season opener Sept. 6. On Sept. 28 they will play at Seahawk Stadium in Seattle. The Seahawks have a bye that weekend, and Seahawk players will serve as referees for their young guests.

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