Tag Archives: North Kitsap High School

Head Injuries and Concussions

Head injuries and concussions have caught the national spotlight. The NFL, NCAA, and NHL have been proactively and aggressively taking steps to prevent head injuries and maybe most importantly, to make sure athletes don’t go back too soon. This is not only a major topic and challenge in professional and college sports, but in high schools, too.

The reality is that school districts don’t have the money to commit to sweeping changes. It’s very sad as it turns out our most vulnerable are at most risk. At North Kitsap School District, the bar has been raised by Chris Franklin. Franklin has been the head athletic trainer at North Kitsap HS for 17 years. He is the guru of making sure kids at North Kitsap stay safe. The work he and his team have done with baseline testing and prevention has drawn local and national attention. Recently, several schools have come to visit North Kitsap to see what they are doing, so they can make similar strides in their schools. And, just recently, a national web site has published a story on what North Kitsap has been doing in this arena.

Read the story here

Full disclosure: I am a North Kitsap School Board Director and I am proud of Chris and his team. I’m proud that our board has continued to fund this program at the level it has for the benefit of our athletes. I’ve watched Chris and his colleagues for 8 years as a coach. I know the work they do not only with head injuries, but all injuries. Great job!

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Friday Night Lights Recap

Dan Weedin

I went 7-2 on my Kitsap Sun picks last night. I pretty much knew Port Angeles was going to beat North Kitsap, but I couldn’t in good conscience sit in the press box, call the game, and much on pizza knowing I had “betrayed” the home team. Let’s just say I took one for the team!

I also didn’t do my homework on Port Townsend. Had I known they were 0-6 heading into the game, I would j=have had a different pick. My bad going with the home team.

Now I need a BIG effort form Jake Locker and the Dawgs against Oregon State. I truly believe this is a bounce back game for UW and it’s their modus operandi (MO in sports jargon). We shall see tonight.

P.S. So, Eric Wedge is the next Mariners skipper. What do you think? From the list they compiled, he is probably the best option. If he can bring a clean-up hitter with him, that would help.

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Monday Morning QB – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Dan Weedin

Let’s start with the “Ugly” and work backwards. I like ending on a high note…

High School Football – I was at the North Kitsap – Bremerton game Friday night. Bremerton dominated. RB Kyle Kennedy (amended) reminds me of John Riggins. They trounced the home-standing Vikings and deserve accolades for the win. Why is this an “Ugly?” Because Bremerton coach Nate Gillem allowing his team to humiliate an opponent is totally classless. Bremerton intercepted a Viking pass on their own 3-yard line with only a couple of minutes left in the game. They were winning 35-7. Game over, right? Wrong.

After getting out of the shadow of their goal line, Bremerton preceded to pass the ball downfield (with their starters) to attempt to score again. They threw long, they ran trick plays, as NK coach Steve Frease screamed at them from the other side of the field with his finger pointing to…the scoreboard.

With seconds to go, Bremerton ran a reverse play to score a TD. Not an off-tackle, not a dive, but a reverse. Thank goodness they were called for holding, so it didn’t stand. They then kneeled down to end the game, but the damage was done.

Gillem explained they needed the win (already firmly in place by only 4 tD’s). He also said he let his players call the plays. Great. So that’s why every coach on your sideline was encouraging the players to score. Sportsmanship needs to at least stay in high school sports. In an era where parents are out of control on expectations, and kids are being wooed by colleges at younger and younger ages, you’d hope coaches would at least show some measure of respect and charity. I’m all about winning. I’m not about humiliating kids and coaches in front of their fans. Coach Nate Gillem was way over the line and should be reprimanded. His players should have been in the spotlight after the game. Not him.

Bad – the Seattle Seahawks offense. Fortunately for them, the “Ugly” went to someone else. Special teams won the game the previous week. No such luck in St. Louis. Coach Carroll has 2 weeks to figure out a way to make first downs, much less touchdowns. This is getting to be as anemic as the Mariners offense. And they at least had Felix Hernandez to help them out every 5 days. Oh, wait. They never scored runs when he pitched. Never mind.

Good – Spectacular – Tremendous – Jake Locker was left for dead by the national media and even members of his local media and fans. Like the Phoenix, he rose from the ashes and single-handedly led his team to a huge victory in Los Angeles over USC. Nebraska? A distant memory. 1-0 in conference and one win closer to a bowl game. If it took the Nebraska loss to catapult them into a positive Pac-10 season, I’ll take that loss every time. That could very well be a season-defining win for this team.

P.S. My daughter and I tied for the Fantasy Baseball bragging rights. I guess we will have to break that tie next year!

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