A Portrait of Teddy Weber

Teddy Weber (based on a photo by Nathan Wallin)

Video: Highlights from JBD7 Blue at Cedar Grove

Video: Highlights from JBD7 Grey vs. Grafton

Game 2: Grafton 20, Junior Blue Dukes GREY 18

The Grafton Gladiators defeated the Junior Blue Dukes Grey team, 20-18, on a short touchdown run late in the 4th quarter Saturday at Lubar Stadium. Without diminishing in any way the execution and superior intensity of the Gladiators, I think the JBD players will look back on this game as one they lost through mistakes -- fumbles, bad snaps, interceptions, poor tackling -- and a failure to consistently match the intensity of Grafton's play. This game had good moments for Blue Dukes, but not enough of them to pull out a victory.
The game started in promising fashion. Grafton won the coin toss and received the opening kickoff, but the Blue Dukes defense held and forced a punt. Matt Bernstein made a nice punt return, but a penalty pulled the yardage back. Still, the Blue Dukes drove down the field into Grafton territory. Unfortunately, a fumbled exchange at the Grafton 34 turned the ball over to the Gladiators. On the next play, poor tackling by Whitefish Bay elevated a short jaunt through the middle to a long gain for Grafton. But Whitefish Bay forced a turnover at the 8-yard line, with Justin Fisher scooping up the ball. On the next play, Van Bassindale ran more than 90 yards for the TD. The extra point kick failed. 6-0, Whitefish Bay.
Nick Higgins'  kickoff bounced inside the 10, but Grafton managed a return to the 30. Several plays later, a Grafton receiver took a short pass over the middle and, thanks to poor tackling  attempts by several Blue Dukes players, turned it into a long touchdown. Grafton converted the XP kick. Grafton 8, WFB 6.
In the second quarter, after a Blue Dukes drive stalled, the Blue Dukes lined up in punt formation. The center bounced a poor snap back to Nick Higgins, who deftly fielded the ball and ran around the left side, presumably in a designed fake punt. Nick, who had absorbed a hard hit to his leg earlier in the game, took hard shots to the head and leg while being tackled, and got up dizzy and wobbly (the ref had to help him up). Our consultant medic took a look at him (thanks Chris) and we unanimously agreed he should sit the rest of the game out. (Nick appears to be doing fine today, beyond being very sore.)
A long pass completion put Grafton close to the goal line, where the Gladiators punched the ball in for a score. The XP kick failed. Grafton 14, WFB 6.
Grafton tried an onside kick, but for the second time this season, Elie Ben Bordow covered the ball snugly for the Junior Blue Dukes.
With scant time left in the first half, the Blue Dukes offense came to life, with hard-earned yards from Teddy Weber's inside runs, a couple of Van Bassindale scampers and a pass completion from Ryan Hummer to Matt Bernstein. A quarterback bootleg by Hummer took the ball close to the goal line. Bassindale plowed up the middle for the TD.  After an off-target snap to the holder, an XP running attempt failed. At halftime, the score was Grafton 14, Whitefish Bay 12.
In the third quarter, the Junior Blue Dukes stopped a Grafton drive deep into Bay territory. On Bay's first ensuing play Bassindale, lined up in wildcat formation, took the snap, picked his way through several would-be tacklers, and raced for the TD. On the extra point attempt, the ball was snapped over the head of the holder, so no points. Whitefish Bay 18, Grafton 14.
Grafton steadily drove down the field until it reached hailing distance of the goal line. The Bay defense stiffened, setting up a 4th and goal situation. Unfortunately, the Grafton QB took the shotgun snap, saw daylight on the left side, and ran into the end zone for the game-winning score. The XP failed. Grafton 20, Whitefish Bay 18.
The Grey team had enough ticks left for a shot at a comeback, but an interception at midfield sealed the game.
Grafton did nothing tricky with their offense, but executed what they did very well. They also played with enthusiasm and intensity. That is the lesson JBD boys can learn from them.
It's one thing for boys, or parents, to complain about playing time; it's another thing altogether to actually do something on the field. If we could roll back just half the missed tackles from this game, the outcome would have been different. In his post-game remarks to the boys, Coach Bassindale made the point that serious effort and intensity in the game itself begins with taking practice seriously. Expect to hear that theme reinforced in practice this week.

Video Highlights from JBD7 Blue vs. Germantown Gold

Footnote: Unfortunately, video of Alec Lindfors fumble return for a TD not available due to technical difficulties. It was a great return by Alec of a fumble caused by a strip by Connor Kimple.

Determination in Blue / Karen W. Higgins photo

Video Highlights from JBD7 Grey vs. Cedarburg

Game 1: Junior Blue Dukes BLUE 24, Germantown Gold 0

Connor Kimple caught two touchdown passes, Wilt Alt ran for a score and Alec Lindors returned a recovered fumble for a TD as the Junior Blue Dukes Blue team won their home opener against Germantown.

Game 1: Junior Blue Dukes GREY 14, Cedarburg 13

Overcoming penalties, mistakes and injuries, the Junior Blue Dukes 7th grade Grey team rode special teams play, clutch 4th quarter defense and power running to a 14-13 victory over the skilled, determined and large Cedarburg team.
Aided by a blocking scheme where every Blue Dukes player did his job, Nick Higgins took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. Higgins kicked the two-point conversion to make the score WFB 8, Cedarburg 0.
But Cedarburg calmly went to work, running its double-wing offense, which tends to hide which back is carrying the ball. Its big linemen and crafty running backs ground the ball down the field until they scored a late first-quarter TD. A pass attempt for the point-after conversion failed. WFB 8, Cedarburg 6.
On the ensuing kickoff, Cedarburg squibbed a kick, possibly intended as an onside kick, but player Elie Ben Bordow covered up the ball for the Junior Blue Dukes.
After the Junior Blue Dukes failed to convert a 4th down play, Cedarburg again drove down the field and scored on a run. This time Cedarburg ran successfully for the point after. Cedarburg 13, WFB 8.
Cedarburg tried an onside kick, but Zach Casey covered it for the Blue Dukes.
At halftime the Whitefish Bay coaches made some adjustments to their defense that slowed down the Cedarburg juggernaut. But a score was still required for the Junior Blue Dukes to regain the lead.
A promising 4th quarter drive ended with an interception by Cedarburg at their own 6-yard line. The Blue Dukes defense held and forced a punt. Matt Bernstein ran the punt back nearly to the goal line, but a penalty on Whitefish Bay placed the ball back around its 45.
A series of power runs by Teddy Weber (mostly inside) and Van Bassindale (often to the right) put the Junior Blue Dukes within striking distance. Then the determined Bassindale rumbled into the end zone to make the score 14-13.
With less than a minute left, Cedarburg tried several runs and then a pass, but Bernstein intercepted the ball, and quarterback Ryan Hummer executed the sweetest play in football, the victory formation kneel down.
Final score: Grey team 14, Cedarburg 13.
Here's hoping to see many of you at the Blue team this afternoon, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
I'll post video highlights after I finish processing.

How to Adjust a Football Mouthpiece

Coach Joe Wieland points out that some players have not fitted their mouth guards.

As a rule, Wieland says, players' mouth guards should fit tightly to their upper teeth. They should be able to talk without the guard falling out.

 If the guard is too loose, it can become dislodged during action and cause the players to choke, or come out of the player's mouth, leaving them unprotected.

All parents should check to see that mouth guards fit properly.

If you need some guidance on that process, please visit this website recommended by Joe:

http://www.wikihow.com/Adjust-a-Football-Mouthpiece

Meet the Coaches: Joe Wieland

Coach Joe Wieland

When Joe Wieland coached the Whitefish Bay High School football team, his team one season featured a senior linebacker who was 5’ 6” and weighed all of 140 pounds. (Hint: Some boys on this season’s 7th grade squad are bigger than that.)
“He lifted weights and became a second-team all-conference linebacker, because he thought he was a tough-guy football player,” Wieland said.
“Every year at high school I had one kid who never started until he became a senior. Those are my success stories. I made a difference with those kids.”
Wieland, who has 22 years of coaching football at every level from 3rd grade through college graduate assistant, is coaching the Junior Blue Dukes 7th grade Blue team this year. He coached the 6th grade squad last season.
He was an all-conference football (RB/DB), baseball (outfielder) and track (sprinter) athlete at Kettle Moraine High School, and an all-conference free safety and track letterman at Carroll College. Wieland coached the WFBHS team for 5 years, compiling 8-3 records his last two seasons.
“I’ve never been the biggest guy on the field,” said Wieland, a math teacher at Whitefish Bay Middle School. “I felt like I worked as hard as I could. I was a tough guy, I played hard.
“I was a kid who could not stand to lose. I hated to lose. I was really fast, I took advantage of my strengths.”
Last season, with a bounty of skilled players to call on, Wieland’s 6th grade team went undefeated. To get more boys more playing experience, the 7th grade is fielding two teams this season, with acknowledged skill players divided comparably between the two teams.
“I feel much more challenged as a coach, day to day in practice,” he said. “I have to make the players better every single day.
“One of our goals is to make our coaches coach better.”
He said he was “ecstatic” with the number of 7th grade boys (about 46) who came out for football this season. “We picked up some football players. Some will have an immediate impact, some an impact two years from now.”

Joe Wieland in his day job as a teacher.

While some players are obviously bigger, faster or stronger than others, Wieland does not believe on giving up on any kid who is making the effort. “Kids will ask me and I will tell them candidly, here’s what you need to do (to improve or to earn a starting spot),” he said. He also said every kid on the team, no matter who he is, has parts of his game he can improve.
Wieland, Grey team coach Jon Bassindale and the assistant coaches are committed to maintaining a unified spirit among 7th grade players while fielding two teams. The two head coaches frequently compare notes on their squads. About 75% of the offensive playbook is the same for both teams, with each team putting in a few plays of its own to take advantage of its players’ distinctive skills.
“We end every practice as a team,” Wieland said. “We are one big team that is going our opposite ways on Saturday and coming back to talk about our victories.

Scenes from a Scrimmage

Karen W. Higgins took some photos at the Aug. 28 scrimmage day in Greendale. These are mostly of Grey team players, but there are some Blue team boys there (Connor Nethen, Cullen Keiper and Connor Kimple, among others). Thanks, Karen.

Meet the Coaches: Jon Bassindale

Coaches Joe Wieland (left) and Jon Bassindale

(At the suggestion of Coach Wieland, I’m writing a series of pieces about the men who are coaching our boys this season.)
Jon Bassindale defies at least one stereotype of the youth football coach: He does not yell very much. 

That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t correct mistakes in practice, or get exasperated by the antics and miniscule attention spans of some hormonally-charged 7th graders. But rather than scold, he prefers to instruct and organize boys in a sport that he both takes seriously and loves passionately.

“I have had both good coaches as well as some really bad coaches in my time, so I have a lot to model myself after,” he said.

With the 7th grade moving to two teams this season for more boys to gain playing experience, Bassindale, who coached running backs and linebackers last season, was eager to step up to the second head coaching spot alongside Joe Wieland.

“I love football... it’s the ultimate team sport!
Football requires all 11 players on the field to coordinate their efforts in order to create an advantage over the other team. If one player misses an assignment, the whole play can collapse.”

Bassindale played high school football at Racine Case in 1975-’77 as a running back and cornerback, where he earned all-conference and all-county honors. He played college football at Dartmouth as a running back and member of the kickoff and kick coverage teams.

One of his signature experiences as a player started, unexpectedly, with a demotion. He had missed a Dartmouth varsity game to attend his brother’s wedding. When he returned to campus, he found he had been demoted to the JV team for the next game.

“I had a ton of fun in that game,” he said. “It kind of refocused me.” It reminded him of how much fun football could be, no matter where a person is playing.

“This season,” Bassindale said, “is about trying to make our 7th grade class even stronger as a team by developing more players capable of taking it to the next level.”

“So much of what we accomplish this year,” he continued, “will take place in practice and not on the field on Saturdays.

“Many of my best football memories come from the time spent with my football buddies on the practice field.”

Bassindale, Joe Wieland and the assistant coaches had many discussions before dividing the 7th graders into two comparable teams.

“We have 22-23 boys on the grey squad, and at this point only half of our starting 11 would be starters on a combined team,” Bassindale said.

“That means the other half will get significant playing time in a starting role, where they have the opportunity to get even better.”

While it doesn’t hurt to have size, speed and strength, Bassindale said what he most looks for in players is “the things that kids can control... their effort, their attitude, and their respect.

If the player shows up and gives 100%, is willing to learn and try new things, is focused on improving, and is respectful of their coaches/teammates and competition, they will accomplish a lot.”

At least for the first game, he said, he would go with his best 11 on offense and best 11 on defense. Knowing that means some of the same players on both sides, probably another 5 or 6 boys will also play regularly.

As Coach Wieland has also said, he will be fair to boys based on their skills, mastery of the plays and effort they put into practice, but playing time will not be distributed equally.
“Everyone has the same opportunity to prove themselves ready for playing time,” he said.

“Success here would be having some of our second 11 become part of our starting 11 before season’s end.”

A Message from the Coaches

A MESSAGE FROM THE COACHES:

BE CAREFUL - With the season upon us, we need the boys to take football as their number 1 priority and limit their other activities that could lead to injuries. We only have 23 players on each team and we need all of them healthy for practice and games. My son, Bailey, is no longer playing Sunday baseball, just as an example. Every player and parent can obviously choose the activities of the players, but we are really looking to making football the number one commitment over the next 8 weeks. When someone gets injured or sick, we do not have many options this year.

SLEEP - School is starting and the boys will need to adjust to a new schedule. Get them to bed early. We are asking that parents do not have Friday night sleep overs. Players should be IN BED by 10:00.

HOMEWORK - Encourage the boys to finish their homework after school and before practice. This would help with them getting home at 8:00, showering, eating and getting to bed .

INJURIES - if your son is injured, a good general rule is ice for 48 hours following the incident. Also, let us know ASAP when a player is injured. There is a difference between PAIN and INJURY. We need players to push through PAIN and rest an INJURY. 

PRACTICE - CHANGE. We are going to continue with practice on Tuesdsay, Wednesday, Thursday. We will start promptly at 5:00 and finish at 7:00. We have found that anything over 2 hours has not been productive this year ( again, age and hormones ).

CONCESSIONS - We encourage you to volunteer to work the concessions OPPOSITE of you sons game. We only have a few home games and this will enable you to watch your son in action instead of working concessions while he is playing.

GAME TIME - Players should be at the field, ready to go, 1 hour before game time. Ask your son his position and when he is playing, which will help you find him on the field. There is still only one ball, and not everyone touches it, but we are trying to make everyone understand that ALL players contribute to a win, or a loss.  As we have said in the past, fair does not mean equal.

Thanks,  Coach Wieland and Coach Bassindale

BLUE team scrimmage wear update

Uniform for tomorrow's (Sept. 2) scrimmage:  Blue game jerseys and blue game pants.  If your player needs a ride, please drop them off at Lydell by 4:30.   
Thanks, 
John Brewster 
jbrewster@wi.rr.com 
Blue (Wieland) team manager