Football starts spring training
Wolves football began spring training on Wednesday, April 9
Carl Miller
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Big Red Sports
Fifty-two letter-winners will be returning to the field this year. However, the Wolves will lose 17 players to graduation, including Mark Thorson, their starting quarterback for the last three years, as well as most of their starting offensive line. Still, four-year head coach, Arne Ferguson, is hopeful.
"We have some good people who saw some playing time in the trenches last year," says Ferguson, "and some others who were red-shirts that have great potential." "But," he adds, "we really need this spring time to get them some work."
Ferguson, who led the Wolves to a 9-2 record last season (the best in Western history), plans to run more game-like scenarios during spring practice, utilizing 11-on-11 drills to get the newer players ready for the '08 season. "We want to put our younger players in as many situations as possible where we are duplicating the speed of a real game," says Ferguson. After the three training sessions this week, the Wolves will practice Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for the rest of April.
In addition to training, the Wolves will also be playing three inter-squad games this spring. The first will be held at West Linn High School on April 19, at 1 p.m. Then they will move a little closer to home for a 1 p.m. game at West Salem High School, on April 26. The finale to spring training will be a not-to-miss game played against Western alumni at McArthur Field on May 2, at 6 pm.
The '08 regular season is set to begin on August 30 at PGE Park, against PSU, whose '07 record was 3-8. Then the Wolves will move on to play an away game against Western Washington and a home game against Central Washington, whose '07 records were 2-8 and 10-3, respectively.
With such a quick start to the '08 season coach Ferguson is eager to get in as much practice time as possible during spring training. "The spring season is very important to us, to get things established as we head into the summer months," explained Ferguson.
"We lost a lot of very, very good football players to graduation," "but we also return people at every position who gained experience last year. How they develop during this spring season is a very important factor for us." •
"We have some good people who saw some playing time in the trenches last year," says Ferguson, "and some others who were red-shirts that have great potential." "But," he adds, "we really need this spring time to get them some work."
Ferguson, who led the Wolves to a 9-2 record last season (the best in Western history), plans to run more game-like scenarios during spring practice, utilizing 11-on-11 drills to get the newer players ready for the '08 season. "We want to put our younger players in as many situations as possible where we are duplicating the speed of a real game," says Ferguson. After the three training sessions this week, the Wolves will practice Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for the rest of April.
In addition to training, the Wolves will also be playing three inter-squad games this spring. The first will be held at West Linn High School on April 19, at 1 p.m. Then they will move a little closer to home for a 1 p.m. game at West Salem High School, on April 26. The finale to spring training will be a not-to-miss game played against Western alumni at McArthur Field on May 2, at 6 pm.
The '08 regular season is set to begin on August 30 at PGE Park, against PSU, whose '07 record was 3-8. Then the Wolves will move on to play an away game against Western Washington and a home game against Central Washington, whose '07 records were 2-8 and 10-3, respectively.
With such a quick start to the '08 season coach Ferguson is eager to get in as much practice time as possible during spring training. "The spring season is very important to us, to get things established as we head into the summer months," explained Ferguson.
"We lost a lot of very, very good football players to graduation," "but we also return people at every position who gained experience last year. How they develop during this spring season is a very important factor for us." •
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