Three Boys

Thank you, Dan Hess, for the picture

Team photo

Karen W. Higgins photo

A Message from Coach Mike Sanders

All,

Thank you so much for the kind words and generous gifts on Friday. I must say that coaching these boys has been an honor. I'd like to thank you all again for your support of the program. Your efforts, all season long, helped this team immeasurably.

I like to think that coaching is also a form of teaching players how to be better people. From my experience, all of these boys hear such lessons at home as well. We had a very well behaved group that never talked back and always gave us their all.

The framed team photo has taken up residence on my mantle where I can always be reminded that I am part of a terrific community of both players and parents.

Thanks again.
-Mike Sanders

Duke Pride

The Good Hands Team

Fanfare (for the Junior Blue Dukes)

Power Running

Sneak preview

Checking out the competition

My friend and colleague Cindy Eggert Johnson posted some video clips from the Menomonee Falls Junior Indians fifth-graders final game of the season. (Cindy's son plays on the Falls squad.) The Falls (5) lost to Catholic Memorial, 21-19. Check out Cindy's clips here.

Junior Blue Dukes slide show

This is a bit of an experiment -- I am trying out Picasa 3's slideshow movie maker function:

Saturday's game video: 2nd half is now online

Highlights from Saturday's Game

Long Run #23



Long Pass



Tackle for Loss



Crunch!



Great Fans



Will Fights for Yards



Good Punt Return

Saturday's game video partly online

I've posted Part 1 of Saturday's game to Youtube. It's about 9.5 minutes long:

Junior Blues Dukes 6, Nicolet 6

Led by a ferocious sideline-to-sideline defense, the Junior Blue Dukes overcame an early score and battled the Nicolet Squires to a 6-6 tie at Good Hope School on Saturday afternoon.

It's been a wonderful season. Watch your email and this blog for details in the near future about our post-season party.

Some of the things that made this team great:

We had the defense!


We had the cheer squad!


We had the coaching!


We had the toughness!


We had the spirit!


We had the fans!


We had each other!


Photos by Karen and Jim Higgins

WHITE Game Jerseys for Saturday's playoff game

Excerpted from a Coach Sanders email:

Congratulations to our team on another outstanding win! It was great to see the boys bounce back. I watched the film clips [thanks Jim!] and I have to say that this was one of our best games this season. Wauwatosa East was bigger than we were, but the boys were able to execute and succeed due to their commitment and determination. Special thanks are due to the coaching staff: Kurt Alt, Jon Bassindale, Joe Fisher, Dan Hess, Steve Hummer, Doug James, and Mark Kortebein for their unsung contributions to this team. Their efforts this week were especially critical to our defensive dominance and the introduction of new offensive formations.

Thank you to all the parents who volunteered and contributed to the Junior Blue Dukes program – we couldn’t do this without you!

Our playoff game is against Nicolet at Good Hope Field, at Good Hope School on the southwest corner of 57 and Good Hope Rd. The game is NOT at Nicolet High School field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30pm, please have your son there at 12:45pm dressed and ready to go in their white jersey, blue game pants, full pads and helmet.

When I coached teams in the past, parents sometimes gave the coaches gift certificates or other presents. This was a very nice gesture, but for me coaching is its own reward and I don’t expect such generosity. I would prefer that IF parents decide they WANT to give something, they instead put their contributions toward an end of season pizza party for EVERYONE.

P.S. Jane Friesch is organizing the post-season fest for us. Stay tuned for further details.

Game Day video clips

Determined running by #45



Great cutback by #40



Touchdown run by #33



Extra point catch by #85



QB keeper for a big gain

Game Day images

Karen Higgins photo Listening to the coaches. From jbd-10-11-08-karenphotos Karen Higgins photo. Driving for a touchdown. Our Game Day crew, led by Charley Weber and Dani Turer. I believe we set a record for number of youth in the booth.

Junior Blue Dukes 13, Tosa East 0

Led by a strong power-running game between the tackles and an opportunistic defense that recovered 3 fumbles, the Junior Blue Dukes shut out the Tosa Red Raiders, 13-0, under the lights at Lubar Stadium in Whitefish Bay.

I talked with a Tosa coach after the game. He said complimented the stadium and said he hoped his team could have a home field like that someday.

Saturday game reminders: 5:30 p.m. kickoff, BLUE jerseys, volunteer schedule

Coach Sanders has asked that the boys be in their BLUE jerseys and be at the stadium at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Kickoff is 5:30 p.m. It is likely to be cooler outside than at many of our other games, so please keep that in mind.

Here is a reminder on the volunteer schedule for Saturday's twilight tilt at scenic Lubar Stadium in Whitefish Bay:

Concessions, 1st half: Ken Presberg, Cathy Heston, Jane Friesch

Concessions, 2nd half: Patty Floyd, Nicole Pryor, Carolyn MacIver

Chain gang: Scott Siebert, Dave/Anne Fergus, Phil Heston

PA announcer: Charley Weber

Spotter: Jackson Weber

Stats/Spotter: John Friesch

Timekeeper/Scoreboard: Dani Turer

DJ/Sound Engineer: Wes Bassindale *(Wes, please let me know if you can make it)

Thanks to all of you volunteers, who make it possible for the coaches to concentrate on coaching.

Jim Higgins
jimhiggins[atsign]gmail.com

An inspiring football story

Talk about mentally tough teams: Read Rick Reilly's column in the ESPN mag about a Minnesota high school team that has only 19 players.

Learning From Adversity

The Junior Blue Dukes battled, but lost to a tough Homestead team 13-0 Saturday at the River Barn Park in Mequon. I think it would be fair to say that a few explosive plays made the difference -- Homestead had them and the Junior Blue Dukes didn't.

A few video highlights from the Junior Blue Dukes point of view:

Friday practice, Friday Homecoming, Saturday game reminders

Messages boiled down from several Coach Sanders emails:

Friday practice: Will be from 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It is ending early so boys can get to the High School game at 7 p.m.

Friday Homecoming game: Per Coach's instructions, wear BLUE jerseys to the High School game. Your songs should sit with the other Junior Dukes players by the high school kids cheering section (near the 20-30 yard line).

Saturday's game: Boys should wear their WHITE road jerseys to the game against Homestead at River Barn Park. Boys should be in full uniform and at River Barn by 12:45 p.m. Scheduled kickoff is 1:30 p.m.


River Barn Park on Green Bay Road one mile north of Brown Deer Road. The field is on the east side of Green Bay Road.
Using I-43 North

· Take the West Brown Deer Rd. exit.

Stay Straight (West) on Brown Deer Rd. for 2.2 miles.

· Exit Brown Deer Rd. at N. Green Bay Rd./Highway 57. Take the north ramp.

· N. Green Bay Rd./Highway 57 becomes N. Cedarburg Rd./Highway 57.

· River Barn Park is on N. Cedarburg Rd. about 1.2 miles north of Brown Deer Rd.

The Humdinger

Sorry, I can't resist the pun on a certain QB's last name. This was an excellent play call, well executed by young Ryan. And it was the dagger, too.

Backside Pursuit

Turning Point

Zach Casey stripped the ball and recovered the fumble as Cedarburg was driving toward the Blue Dukes goal line. This was one of the turning points of the game.

Fumble Recovery

Special Teams

I thought Sam Horn's kickoffs during the Cedarburg game were excellent, and our special teams coverage helped the Junior Blue Dukes pin the Colts down in their end.

Running to Daylight (2 plays)

(Notice the good footwork along the sideline by Macklin on the TD run.)

Second Effort Results in TD Run

Game Day: Junior Blue Dukes 18, Cedarburg 7

Karen Higgins photos

In a bruising battle at Lubar Stadium in scenic Whitefish Bay, the Junior Blue Dukes 5th grade team defeated the Cedarburg Colts, 18-7.

Cedarburg's wedge formation and sleight-of-hand on offense challenged the Blue Dukes defense, but the hometown boys lived up to their reputation for mental toughness.

Macklin Kortebein scored two touchdowns and Ryan Hummer added the dagger on a long naked bootleg (great play call, coaches).

A Game Day crew note: Special thanks to Wes Bassindale, Van's brother, who has helped us out with the music for our two home games. We're grateful for what you're doing for us, Wes.

From left: Charley Weber, Phil Heston, Wes Bassindale, Harris Turer, Howard Sicula, John Friesch

BLUE HOME JERSEYS

Coach Mike says:

1. Wear your blue home jersey to school on Friday (and to the game on Saturday, of course).

2. Boys should be at the stadium at 12:50 p.m. ready to go.

Here is the volunteer schedule for Saturday's game, scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m.

Concessions, First Half: Greg Heebink, Anne Casey, Kim Miller

Concessions, Second Half: Mark Dudek, Ann Wilson, Danielle Santori

Chain gang: Anne Fergus, Colin Hutt, Chris Burton

PA: Harris Turer

Spotter: Howard Sicula

Stats: John Friesch

Sound Engineer: Wes Bassindale

Timekeeper/Scorekeeper: Phil Heston

Questions, problems? Please email me
Jim Higgins
jimhiggins [at sign] gmail.com

Extra Point

Dominating the 3rd quarter

This is kind of a long clip, and Nick has already criticized me for the shaky camerawork (guess I was too excited).

I want to show how the Junior Blue Dukes dominated the 3rd quarter with a long drive for a touchdown, with good blocking, power running and some nifty cutbacks.

The occasional background comments are courtesy of Junior Blue Dukes parents in the stands.




If you want to watch this long clip in a bigger window, please try this link:

Kickoff return for TD

If Van has a diary, he had a lot to write about after this game.

Game-saving play

An excellent interception -- and note the pressure applied by the Blue Dukes pass rush which hurried the New Berlin quarterback's throw

Blue Dukes win, 13-12

The resilient Junior Blue Dukes overcame deficits twice to defeat a tough New Berlin team at the N.B. field, 13-12.

WHITE JERSEYS for Saturday; game time is 1:30 p.m.

Junior Blue Dukes go on the road Saturday

A message from Coach Sanders:

Game time is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

I need the boys there dressed and ready, in white jersey and blue game pants by 12:45 p.m.

The boys can wear their white away jersey to school on Friday.

Directions, courtesy of Mapquest:

1. Merge onto I-43 S via the ramp on the LEFT.4.7 mi

2. Merge onto I-94 W via EXIT 72B toward MADISON.5.6 mi

3. Merge onto I-894 E/US-45 S via EXIT 305A on the LEFT toward CHICAGO.2.0 mi

4. Take the NATIONAL AVENUE exit, EXIT 2A.0.3 mi

5. Merge onto CR-ES W. 2.7 mi

6. Turn LEFT onto S SUNNYSLOPE RD.1.4 mi

7. End at 4333 S Sunnyslope Rd New Berlin, WI 53151

Fumble Recovery I & II

Another Big Catch

'There's Your Dagger'

Big Catch

Great Tackles

Safety First!

Game Day: Junior Blue Dukes 26, Saukville 0

Colleen & the Pips:
From left in the booth: statmaster John Friesch, sound engineer Wes Bassindale, P.A. announcer Colleen Bassindale, spotter Rick Rojahn and timekeeper/scorekeeper/master of reality Phil Heston.



Not only do we have an exciting team, we also have a lovely chain gang.
Photo of Anne Fergus courtesy of Karen W. Higgins

Picture Day / Practice Reminder (Fri Sept 12)

A message from Coach Sanders:

[Today, Friday Sept. 12] is picture day.

Please make sure your son arrives in his full home gear including helmet, pads, blue home jersey, and blue game pants by 4:30pm. We will have our team picture right at 5pm.

After that we will head over to Lydell Field for practice. Practice will run long due to the travel time. I would like to keep the boys until 7:30pm.

Please make sure your son also has his practice jersey and white practice pants with him to change into after pictures.

Picture Day info (Fri Sept. 12)

A message from Coach Sanders:

We are slated for picture day on 9/12 at 5pm.
This presents a little bit of a challenge for us as we have practice immediately following the shoot. The boys will need to wear their blue home jerseys and blue game pants for the photos.
They will then need to change into their white practice pants and practice jerseys for practice which will be from 5:30-7:00pm.
Pictures will be taken at the: NORTH EAST CORNER OF THE HS FIELD
NO NEED TO BRING ANY FORMS - THEY WILL BE AT EVENT
YOU CONFIRM NAME/ADDRESS
PROOF WILL BE EMAILED/SENT TO YOU THEN YOU CAN ORDER

Volunteer assignments for 9-13 home game

Here are volunteer assignments for our home game Saturday at Whitefish Bay. [I will strive to get more details to these named individuals before kickoff!]

Concessions, 1st half: Jill Nethen, Carlynn Alt, Kelly Daley
Concessions, 2nd half: Colleen Hutt, Elissa Weber, Kathy Sicula
Chain gang: Scott Siebert, Colin Hutt, Dave Fergus
PA: Colleen Bassindale
Spotter: Rick Rojahn
Stats: John Friesch

Volunteers: if you have any complications or problems that would get in the way of volunteering Saturday, please get back to me ASAP. Except in the case of emergency I don't have to try to reconfigure this on the spot at the stadium.

Jim Higgins
jimhiggins [atsign] gmail.com

Wednesday practice time changed to 5 p.m.

A message from Coach Sanders:

Hello all, We won our first game! Though we faced some challenges, we started our season with the right result! The boys did a great job and beat one of the strongest teams in our league.

I have eliminated the substitution system we put in place for the first game and will be using my original idea of a white and a blue team.

It has come to my attention that both Richards and Cumberland have a parents’ night this week, so we will move practice to 5-6:30PM on Wednesday. Thanks.

Junior Blue Dukes 6, Homestead 0

A few video clips from Saturday's game:

QB Keeper




Excellent Tackle



Power Run



Good Catch




Tackled Behind the Line

Who is Mike Sanders?

Who is Mike Sanders and what is he doing with our children?

If your son has played recreational sports in Whitefish Bay before joining the Junior Blue Dukes 5th grade team this year, he -- and probably you, too -- know some of the dads who are coaching the team. Misters Kortebein, James, Hummer, Hess, Fisher, Bassindale and Alt have been active sports dads in our community.

But head coach Mike Sanders is a new face to most of us. And to many of the boys, he will be the first man they will know simply as a coach, not as their own or a friend's father.

Mike and his wife Elizabeth moved to Whitefish Bay in 2006 from their former home in Grand Rapids, Mich. When he started to settle in the neighborhood, he looked up Whitefish Bay High School coach Jim Tietjen, who eventually connected him up with the Junior Blue Dukes program. During the 2007 youth football season, he worked as an assistant coach with the 5th grade team, mostly on the offensive side of the ball.

His formal football playing days didn't begin until his junior year in high school, because his mother insisted he earn perfect grades in school before he could suit up. Mike has described himself as an "undersized" right guard for his high school team; being an undersized offensive lineman ought to make him feel right at home in the Bay. (And, if we're looking for good coaching omens, remember that Vince Lombardi was an undersized offensive guard, too.)

Mike went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. But Badger fans, rest easy. He concentrated on academics there, not football, graduating cum laude with majors in political science and history. Parallel to his studies, he gained a lot of experience working with kids through the YMCA and other programs.

The most challenging aspect of coaching football with 10-year-old boys is "how much you have to break it down to a kid's level," he said.

Mike is considerably younger than most of his assistant coaches, who are bright, experienced and -- dare we say it -- alpha males. He describes himself as learning from that situation, too (and bringing that learning into his day job in sales for Steelcase). He tries to make sure each assistant coach has a voice in the program and gets heard.

Each assistant coach, Mike said, has a sphere of influence: offense line for Steve Hummer, defensive line for Doug James, receivers for Joe Fisher, running backs for Jon Bassindale, special teams for Dan Hess, QBs for Kurt Alt and defense/linebackers for Mark Kortebein. But they also overlap and share responsibilities.

Parents may have heard talk in practices about the team being broken up into blue and white squads. But after much observation and consideration, the coach said he has had to modify the ideal plan of a perfectly equal number of snaps for each kid. "I don't have enough big kids," he said. And even in this age group, a team needs the big kids on the line to protect the little kids. As the coach explains, this year's team has a core of about 8 boys big enough to play offensive and defensive line. He will then have groups of running backs and receivers that he will shuttle in and out.

Is it hard to motivate boys this age playing offensive line who know they won't be carrying the ball? The carrot he holds in front of them is the permission, rarely given to 10-year-old boys, to "knock someone on the butt." In this setting, between these lines and under these rules, you can be a bully and go pick on someone, Mike tells his linemen.

If you've ever attended a football practice at any level, you know that football coaches are a fraternity of yellers, in part simply to get the attention of rowdy boys. But some parents may be relieved to hear that Coach Sanders does not condone coaches swearing at this level. "I will never allow anyone to use profanity with 10-year-old boys," he said.

His primary goal for this year does not involve the number of wins. He wants to make each boy understand that everyone on the team is equally important, and that the camaraderie of the group is what matters. He wants to see these Junior Blue Dukes celebrate together and pick each other up in difficult moments. He believes that is more important than winning or even playing well.

A few XXXs and OOOs

For parents and friends new to football, here are a few words and terms that might be helpful in watching the games and talking with your sons.

The Junior Blue Dukes' base defense this year is the Eagle defense, the coach explained. It starts with 5 boys on the defensive line -- a nose tackle, defensive tackles on either side and defensive ends likewise. Beyond them are two linebackers (nicknamed mike and will LBs), right and left cornerbacks positioned about 5 years back, and two safeties (nicknamed fox and duke).

The team's base offense is a Full House offense, named for its setup of three evenly spaced running backs on the same line behind the quarterback. Anchored by the center (he's the one who yells "Huddle, Huddle" to begin each huddle), the offensive line also includes right and left guards, right and left tackles. The split end and tight end are receivers lined up outside the tackles, but for the team's many running plays, they're blockers, too.

White Game Jerseys for Saturday's Game

A message from Coach Hess:
We play Homestead White on September 6 at 3:00 pm at River Barn Park in Mequon. Coach Sanders sent out directions earlier this week.
The boys should wear their white (away) jerseys and blue game pants for the game. Please have your son at the field and ready for pre-game practice no later than 2 pm.
The boys should also wear their white jerseys to school on Friday to show they are a member of the 5th grade Jr. Blue Dukes team.
Please contact me with any questions because Coach Sanders will not have access to e-mail until Monday.

Thanks,
Dan Hess
Dhess[at sign]foley.com

As Dan mentioned, here are the directions to the Riverbarn Park field, where we will play Homestead:

River Barn Park on Green Bay Road one mile north of Brown Deer Road. The field is on the east side of Green Bay Road.
Using I-43 North

· Take the West Brown Deer Rd. exit.

Stay Straight (West) on Brown Deer Rd. for 2.2 miles.

· Exit Brown Deer Rd. at N. Green Bay Rd./Highway 57. Take the north ramp.

· N. Green Bay Rd./Highway 57 becomes N. Cedarburg Rd./Highway 57.

· River Barn Park is on N. Cedarburg Rd. about 1.2 miles north of Brown Deer Rd.

Friday Night Lights

From our scrimmage 8.29.2008

Power Running

Bootleg Right

A big week for the Junior Blue Dukes

A message from Coach Sanders:

We have an enormous week ahead of us!

We have practice Monday (Aug. 25) from 5:30-7:00pm. I am attending a client dinner and the assistant coaches will lead practice. For the first half of practice, coach Kortebein [along with all the assistants] will work with the team on the defensive formations and gap assignments. For the second half coaches Alt and Fisher will work with the quarterbacks on pass drills, coaches Bassindale and Hess will work with the backs on running and handoff drills, coaches Hummer and James will work with the offensive line, and coach Kortebein will work with our long snapper and kicker.

We have our scrimmage on Tuesday (Aug. 26) at Pewaukee – all players need to arrive ready to play at 5:30pm in full pads, with helmets, mouth guards, and practice pants and jerseys. Directions (from Lydell) below.

2: Turn RIGHT onto N LYDELL AVE. 0.5 mi
3: Turn RIGHT onto W HAMPTON AVE. 0.2 mi
4: Turn LEFT onto N PORT WASHINGTON RD. 1.0 mi
5: Take the ramp toward I-43. 0.1 mi
6: Merge onto W CAPITOL DR. 17.2 mi
7: W CAPITOL DR becomes OAKTON AVE. 0.0 mi
8: Turn LEFT onto CLARK ST. 0.2 mi
9: Turn RIGHT onto E WISCONSIN AVE. 0.1 mi
10: Turn LEFT onto CR-G/PROSPECT AVE. 0.3 mi
11: Turn LEFT onto SCHOOL ST. 0.2 mi
12: SCHOOL ST becomes LAKE ST. 0.2 mi
13: End at 510 Lake St Pewaukee, WI 53072-3631

Estimated Time: 37 minutes Estimated Distance: 19.92 miles

We will then have no practice Wednesday (Aug. 27) – Lydell Field is the site of the 6th grade scrimmage during our normal practice time.

We will have practice Thursday (Aug. 28) from 5:30-7:00. Any player who wants to work on kickoff, punt returns, and kick returns are encouraged to plan to stay after for 30 minutes.

Friday (Aug. 29) is an incredible day for our Jr. Dukes team! First, there is the silent auction for Jr. Duke parents. This runs from 5-7pm.

Then, the first WFB HS football home game [vs. Waukesha West] kicks off at 7pm. Jr. Dukes players receive free admission to home games when wearing their game jerseys. During half time, the 5th grade team will break into two squads and play each other.

IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU INFORM ME IF YOUR CHILD WILL NOT ATTEND THIS HALF-TIME INTRATEAM SCRIMMAGE. I need to have accurate rotations of players built as we will only have about 8 minutes on the field to execute plays. That means each team will have about 6 plays to try to reach the end zone.

Players will need to begin dressing when there are 10 minutes left in the first half of the game and lining up in the A zone [under the scoreboard] when there are 5 minutes left in the first half.

I will coach the White team along with coaches Bassindale, Fisher, and James.

Coach Alt will call the plays for the Blue team and be assisted by coaches Kortebein, Hummer, and Hess.

I would very much like to have a parent capture this scrimmage on film for the boys – this was not an event that I had the forethought to ask Jim Higgins to coordinate. If you can film this, pleas correspond directly with Jim or me.

Feel free to call me with any questions,

Coach Sanders

Old school

Water break

Scrimmage Tues Aug. 26 at Pewaukee

A message from Coach Sanders:

Our next scrimmage is 8/26 at 6pm at Pewaukee High School, on their practice field next to the stadium. THIS DATE HAS CHANGED FROM ITS ORIGINAL OF 8/27.

Please have your child at Pewaukee at 5:30pm dressed in practice pants and jersey, full pads, helmet, and mouth guard.

Volunteer schedule online

What an excellent scrimmage our Junior Blue Dukes had in Cedarburg on Saturday. I was impressed by both the quality and effort on the field. Both the boys and the coaches deserve a hearty round of applause.

Thanks to your quick and kind responses, we've filled our Concessions schedule for our 3 home games.

For the sake of convenience, I've posted a Google spreadsheet with the game dates and volunteer assignments (including chain gang, PA, etc.). You can read it here:

http://snipurl.com/jbd5volunteers

If you have trouble accessing it for any reason, or if I have gotten your name or information wrong, please forgive me and let me know about it. I will also be sure to send out reminders with plenty of notice before each home game.

Jim Higgins
jimhiggins [atsign] gmail.com

The Brain Trust

Scrimmage in Cedarburg

Scrimmage on Saturday Aug. 16

A message from Coach Sanders:

Scrimmage Saturday (Aug. 16) - meet at Lydell, leave at 9am to carpool, arrive 9:30am Cedarburg HS, game starts 10am, scrimmaging until about 12pm

Practice 8.13.2008