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

BLUE, GREY ROSTERS FINALIZED

Coaches Joe Wieland (Blue) and Jon Bassindale (Grey) have finalized the rosters for our two 7th grade teams.

BLUE
Head Coach: Joe Wieland
Coaches: Mark Kortebein, Kurt Alt, Joe Fisher, Dan Hess, Scott Siebert
Manager: John Brewster (coordinates volunteers and other duties)
Players: Will Alt, Jake Brewster, Charlie Cohen, Patrick Collins, Anthony Enea, Josiah Erving, Jake Fisher, Brandon Haughey, Danny Hess, Carter Heston, Andrew James, Cullen Kieper, Connor Kimple, Macklin Kortebein, Peter Kubly, Alec Lindfors, Evan Miller, Johnny Misey, Connor Nethen, Anthony Pogorelc, Paul Presberg, Chris Siebert, Bailey Wieland, Paul Wilson.

GREY
Head Coach: Jon Bassindale
Coaches: Steve Hummer, John Friesch, Matt Trussoni, Jeff Frank
Manager: Jim Higgins
Players: Van Bassindale, Matt Bernstein, Elie Ben Bordow, Brooks Burton, Zach Casey, Clay Daley, Jonathan Downs, Cooper Fergus, Justin Fisher, Seamus Floyd, Jack Friesch, Russell Grevious, Brijhan Hackney, John Heebink, Nick Higgins, Ryan Hummer, Scott Rojahn, Jesse Sanford, Tony Schultz, Dreyel Taylor, Mason Trussoni, Zachary Turner, Teddy Weber.

Video: From the 8-28 scrimmages

Coach Jon Bassindale and fellow coaches Steve Hummer, John Friesch and Matt Trussoni took a squad to scene Greendale for 4 scrimmages Saturday morning. Here's a look at one of the scrimmages, from two different camera points of view:

jbd7-bassindale-8-28-2010-scrimmage-game-2 from Jim Higgins on Vimeo.


2010-08-28 Scrimmage - Greendale from Jim Higgins on Vimeo.

The high-altitude view is courtesy of John Brewster and his patented BrewCam.

Coach Bassindale speaks: Saturday scrimmage details

From Coach Bassindale:

We need the following players for this Saturday’s scrimmages (Aug. 28) in Greendale .

Not Greenfield, Not Glendale, but GREENDALE….at the High School.

(I am emphasizing the location as I always mix these up and did so in my earlier communication.)

We want to be in Greendale no later than 8:30AM as we start our first session promptly at 9. We will meet at Lydell at 7:50Am and leave no later than 8AM.

If your son needs a ride please make sure he is to Lydell by 7:50AM.

We are taking about half our team so expect more playing time than last weekend.

The boys will be playing almost non-stop for over 2 hours so make sure they are well hydrated and well rested.

Have them bring a bag with two water bottles and a snack bar if they want.

Nethen

Taylor

Trusoni

Daley

Downs

Friesch

Fisher (Justin)

Bernstein

Presburg

Weber

Floyd

Hummer

Bassindale

Schultz

Casey

Higgins

Rojahn

Kimple

Sanford

Kieper

 

Coach Bassindale

Cell: (414) 336-6195

1 .	Take the ramp onto I-43 S	12.5 mi
2.	Take exit 8A to merge onto WI-36 S/W Loomis Rd	2.5 mi
3.	Turn right at Southway Way Destination will be on the left	0.4 mi

Destination: 6801 Southway Way Greendale, WI 53129

Coach speaks: About the Aug. 21 Scrimmages

From Coach Joe Wieland:

On Saturday, we will scrimmage Hartford from 10-11 and then Oshkosh West from  11-12. Due to the large number of boys on our team, we are planning to do some additional scrimmaging with our players from 12-12:30. I just wanted all parents to know that the players will not be done until 12:30. If parents and players have to leave at 12, please let us know on Saturday.

If you want to be able to find your son during the scrimmage, have them wear a different color pair of socks or a different color undershirt. Most of the boys will have plain blue jerseys, so they tend to look the same.

Travel and other details for Aug. 21 Scrimmage at Cedarburg HS

On Saturday Aug. 21, the 7th grade Junior Blue Dukes will scrimmage from 10 a.m. to noon at Cedarburg High School. Several teams will participate. These are controlled scrimmages, with plenty of time for coaches to stop the action for correction and instruction.
What to wear: Coach Joe Wieland asks that boys wear blue practice jerseys as well as the blue game pants they received. Blue practice jerseys can be purchased for $15 from the coaches; these funds support the football program. Also, bring plenty of water and other football-friendly liquids.
Caravans: Families are free to drive themselves to Cedarburg. But people who would like to caravan or car-pool should meet in the Lydell parking lot (our practice field). Per Coach Wieland, the caravan will leave at 8:30 a.m. sharp from the parking lot. (If you are driving yourself, plan to get to Cedarburg 9 a.m. or not long thereafter.)
Directions: Courtesy of Google Maps:
1. Take I-43 North.
2. Take exit 89 toward Cedarburg 0.2 mi
3. Turn left at Pioneer Rd 2.6 mi
4. Turn right at Green Bay Rd 0.3 mi
5. Continue onto Hamilton Rd 0.9 mi
6. Slight right at Washington Ave 453 ft
7. Take the 1st left onto Western Rd 0.5 mi
8. Turn right at Juniper Ln 0.2 mi
9. Slight right 121 ft
Unless something has changed since last year, we will scrimmage on the practice fields at Cedarburg, not the HS football field itself.
Parents may want to bring folding chairs or camp chairs. This is an informal situation.
For families that are new, here is a video clip from last season's Cedarburg scrimmage (with music added, apologies if you're a purist and hate that sort of thing):

Video: The Boys of Fall

Joe Fisher recommended this excellent football-related video:

Coach Joe speaks: Fluids, Practice

Excerpted from an email from Coach Joe Wieland:
WATER: The boys should be drinking water throughout the day, hydrating themselves before practice. Electrolytes and some type of vitamin may also be helpful. We are giving them plenty of breaks at practice, but they need to come to practice hydrated with plenty of fluids to drink during practice. Next week we put on pads and the boys will be even hotter at practice.
NON-PRACTICE DAYS: On the days that we do not have practice, it would be good for the boys to get out and be active. Pushups and situps or weight lifting, if they have already started a SAFE weight lifting program They will also want to review their plays. Competition is going to be strong for all starting positions.
We are off to a great start, so thanks to all of the parents for trusting us with your boys.
Coach Wieland

Special volunteer message from Commissioner Carl Fuda

A message from Whitefish Bay Junior Blue Dukes czar Carl Fuda, the tirelessly hard working leader of our program:
"Besides the usual volunteer things that each grade needs to make our games run smoothly, we have some others major jobs that need to be filled. Please consider helping out!
"Concession Coordinator - some one who is willing to spend 3 Saturdays on 9/11 9/18 and 10/16 setting up and coordinating all concession activity.
"Grill master - our grill master, Peggy Weber (helped out by Mike!) must retire. She was responsible for grilling all of the brats and hot dogs (200 total) that we sell during Junior Duke home games. Included in this job was concession set up from 8 - 10 AM ON Saturdays for each game.
Note, our concession operation is extremely important. The profits are used to pay the 4 referees that we use for all of our games.
Please call me at 414-687-8934 with any questions or if you are willing to help.
Thanks
CARL