» Youth football action begins

Thursday, July 16, 2009 | No comments posted. Voluntary practice for seventh- and eighth-grade football players is scheduled on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., through Aug. 26.

Harbor Lights Middle School coaches Hiemer Kiefer (eighth grade) and Haven Andrist (seventh grade) said that participants should wear shorts or sweats, and bring cleats if they have them.

“We’ll be working on fundamentals and learning a slimmed-down version of the high school’s offense and defense,” Andrist said.

BYT signups July 18-19

Bandon Youth Football, for boys and girls entering grades 4-6 in Bandon and Port Orford-Langlois schools, begins later this month.

The program offers young players a basic introduction to organized football. “We stress the basics of blocking, tackling, running plays, teamwork and sportsmanship,” Andrist said. “This year we’ll learn the basics of Bandon High School’s offensive system.”

Practices will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. weekdays beginning July 20 on the lawn between the high school and middle school. Four live games will be played on Tiger Field beginning at 6 p.m. on Fridays, July 31, Aug. 7 and Aug. 21, and Thursday, Aug. 13.

A $30 participation fee, along with proof of insurance, must be provided during registration, scheduled for July 18 and 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Harbor Lights Middle School gym. The fee covers program costs, including a T-shirt.

“Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the game, have fun and want to continue to play later at the middle and high school levels,” Andrist added.

Late signups for players who will be out of town or otherwise unavailable will be accepted through Aug. 5. Contact the coach for more information.

For more information on Bandon Youth Football or Harbor Lights football, call Andrist at 297-4953.