Youth football fuels BHS varsity By Johnathan Warlick E-E Sports Reporter Saturday, July 10, 2010 11:31 PM CDT

the past few years have seen a resurgence of Bartlesville High School football, with the Bruins going from one-win seasons to one win away from the Class 6A quarterfinals in 2009.Head coach Ron Smith has led a coaching staff that has turned the program’s losing culture around, and a crop of college-worthy athletes — Kirby Schoenthaler, Michael Thompson, Jack Wiseman, to name a few —have been key to the transformation.However, says YMCA Bruin Youth Tackle Football program director Harley Rutherford, there is one big factor in the Bruins’ rise that may be easy to overlook: Youth football.“without a good youth program, we’re not going to be a competitive team in 6A,” Rutherford stated. “We could still have good players and some good teams, but we wouldn’t be as competitive.”Don’t believe him?Jenks and Union, the only teams to win a state championship in 6A since 1996, both have strong youth football programs that help build the kind of depth that allow for complete offensive and defensive units.

they don’t have play kids on both sides of the ball for the entire game, allowing both increased specialization in skill and more energy during the game.“those schools average five (youth teams) a grade. We hope to have two but we have one team per grade (right now),” Rutherford said. “We are averaging 30 kids per age group playing while they average 100.”He hopes those numbers improve over the next few years for an important reason.Starting the kids at a young age allows them to learn the fundamentals and come into Smith’s high school program with a high-level of football intelligence and fitness, allowing them to both contribute more to the program and have a better shot at making the starting lineup come Friday night.Schoenthaler, the Bruins all-state quarterback who is getting NCAA football looks (Army and Air Force) and will try to lead the Bruins deeper into the playoffs in his senior campaign this fall, played in the YMCA program.Schoenthaler leads Class 6A in passing over the past two seasons, flinging the ball downfield for over 5,100 yards and 46 touchdowns.He didn’t do that alone.Powell was one of Class 6A’s top receivers (1,071 yards, 13 touchdowns) in 2009, and has drawn attention from Tulsa, New Mexico and Arkansas.He is also a YMCA youth program grad, as is Thompson, who is one of Bartlesville all-time best wide receivers, who signed with NEO A&M (Miami) junior college.Let’s not forget the offensive line.Colby Mitchell, a 6-foot-2, 295-pounder who will be a senior, is moving from right guard to center. He’s gotten looks from Missouri, among other D-1 schools.Mitch Tate, meanwhile, has drawn serious interest from Iowa State.the list goes on: Devin Randall, Chandler Bennett and many others have all benefited from early involvement.“all these kids that are the starters have played from third grade all the way through. they have chemistry, they have a skill set built,” Rutherford said. “We try to work with the high school coaches to teach them the fundamentals and get them ready (for varsity).”beyond just prepping them for varsity football, though, the program is also about instilling values such as discipline, teamwork and physical fitness into the kids.Teamwork is especially important for them to learn.“Football is not a one man sport. Barry Sanders had to have a good offensive line at OSU or he wouldn’t have gone anywhere. (Sam) Bradford is a good quarterback, but it takes good receivers for him to throw to,” Rutherford said. “the purpose is for a program for the kids to play in and enjoy and come out and play football, get some physical fitness, build self esteem.“the reward of it is, being able to help build the high school program. That’s the reward, but the purpose of it is to have a program for the kids to learn, and have fun.”the program now runs from first grade through seventh, and YMCA members pay $135 while non-members pay $165, a fee that includes all necessary football equipment.Rutherford, however, wants everybody to get the chance to play, regardless of finances.“We have financial assistance, and we don’t turn anyone away. If you’re having problems come talk to me and we can figure out a situation to get you to play at a portion of the cost,” Rutherford said.the United Way also grants the program some money for full scholarships in certain cases, he said.Smith and his staff keep in close contact with the program and make sure that the coaches are instilling quality fundamental football skills.Players practice three to four times a week and play on Saturday’s starting in August and running through November.why so many practices?“Football is one of the hardest sports to coach, because you have to teach so many different kids so many different things. Parents questions why we practice so much, but it’s because there is so much to coach and teach,” Rutherford said.first and second graders are limited to an hour and a half, however, and safety is always a top priority. the earlier they start, the better they can avoid serious injury later, according to Rutherford.“It’s not any worse than any other sport. I’ve seen just as much injuries in soccer the last couple of years as I have in football,” he said. “It’s much easier for a kid to start in first or second grade and learn how to take a hit and play the game versus waiting several years and going up against kids that have more experience.”trying to start playing football late can make getting playing time on the field hard, no matter how good an athlete someone may be.“Some of these kids that come out (for BHS eighth grade football) having never played and don’t even know how to get in a three point stance,” Rutherford said. “they are good kids and some are great athletes, but they just don’t know the fundaments.”everyone gets to participate in YMCA youth football, and as Rutherford emphasizes, no child is turned away.Registration ends on July 23, and can be done online at youthfootball.com (look for the “register here” link) or at the Bartlesville YMCA.Rutherford is also available to help with registration by calling 336-0713, extension 102, or by e-mail at .