Preparing For Round 2 Of Football ’21

By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SALEM, Ore.– By the last hour of the first practice of the 2021 Fall Season, Sprague’s David Sherman received the first battle scare of the season. Going through the pad-less practice with a bandage just below his left eye Monday morning.

“It feels pretty good just to get back out here. It’s nothing like the first day of practice, it just brings the joy,” Sherman said.

This past Spring’s 5-1 season exceeded the four-win total that the Olympians had in the two seasons prior combined (4-14 in that stretch) and are entering this Fall season with a strong returning core. Quarterback Logan Smith returns under center after an off-season that saw the senior go to the Northwest 9 Showcase in Yakima, Washington.

Guys like Drew Rodriguez, Cole Elmore, Riley Davis, Colton Herring, Cody Schanack, and Sherman all return as well as they fill in the gaps left by the recent graduates.

“Coming off having a season a couple of months ago I think it’ll benefit us because we’re still fairly fresh. We have a lot of our skill positions returning and a couple of linemen returning, so everyone’s kind of fresh and knows what needs to be done,” Smith said.

Sprague went 5-1 in the six-week short-season in March as they return a bulk of that team for the Fall season that started Monday (Picture by Jeremy McDonald)

“We got to be ready, we got to compete, get out here and be the best that we can be. I feel good about our team,” Herring adds. “We look good. We feel athletic, we just got to get out there.”

For Sherman, learning from guys like Bryson Kievit and Brett Hassoun about leading down in the trenches will help guys like him and Schanack step up this Fall as they take over those big roles.

“They taught me to pick up the little kids. Don’t put them down but help them up. Be strict, but make sure they’re getting better at the same time,” Sherman said.

Sprague gets to put on the helmets Tuesday in preparation of their Wilsonville jamboree next week. The Olys open the season on the road at Corvallis September 3 with their first home game September 10 against Century. Sprague opens the Mountain Valley Conference play at Mountain View September 17.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald