|
|
Colville, Washington |
Monday, January 5, 2009 |
|
|
|
|
Veteran line will lead Kettle Falls this fall |
|
|
|
Wednesday, 03 September 2008 |
First year KFHS head coach Curtis Corvino
is no stranger around these parts
BY CHRIS COWBROUGH
S-E Sports Editor
If Kettle Falls High enter¬tains any thoughts of bat¬tling what’s left of the North¬east A League elite this fall, senior quarterback Shelby Hite and a rugged and expe¬rienced offen¬sive line are go¬ing to have to produce.
The athletic Hite is a 5-10, 160-pounder with quick feet and a strong arm. Last season, with All-State and All-North¬east A tailback Lu¬cas Fox the focal point of a predictable KFHS offense, Hite certainly wasn’t the fo¬cal point in the Bulldogs’ at¬tack.
That’s changed this year. Hite, who will operate behind a big, veteran line, is one of the most gifted athletes in the NEA this fall.
First year KFHS head coach Curtis Corvino, who took over the program from Don Fox, knows that Hite will be a key component in an offense that has relied heavily on the run¬ning game in past seasons.
Strong arm and quick feet
“Shelby’s speed and his arm strength are weapons that we will use this fall,” figured Corvino, who worked as a KFHS assistant coach under Fox last fall. “He’s great on the roll and can roll right and has enough arm strength to throw that back¬side post.”
Look for Kettle to run a lot of play action and sprint out with Hite at the controls. “That definitely plays to his strength,” added Corvino, a 1996 KFHS graduate. “He has been a starter since midway through his sopho¬more season and he’ll be a key player for us. We’re ex¬cited about what he can do.”
Last season, the Bulldogs dropped their final four games of the season and fin¬ished 5-5. Hite was knocked out in the NEA finale against Chewelah.
A healthy and effective Hite will be a key to any suc¬cess the Bulldogs experience on the field this fall. Ditto for a solid stable of offensive linemen.
The Bulldogs will trot out the most experienced, and maybe the biggest, offensive line in the league.
The beef starts with 6-1, 250-pound senior center Doug Tebow. Tebow will be flanked by senor guards Justin Car¬stens, a 5-11, 200-pounder; David Burns, a 5-9, 200-pounder, and tackles Geoffrey Rose, a 6-1, 230-pounder and massive Bill Rowe, a 6-4, 305-pound sen¬ior.
“We’re pretty excited about that group,” Corvino said. “Four of our eight linemen were starters last year. They’re big, a year older, stronger and more ex¬perienced.”
Learning curve
Corvino said that early prac¬tice sessions have con¬centrated on blocking as¬sign¬ments “vs. different fronts.”
The coach admitted that “there is a little bit of a learning curve there, but a lot of the kids are starting to pick it up.”
Coaching the offensive line is veteran coach Mike Pratt. New to the scene is former KFHS assistant, Dave Tupek.
Corvino actually played when Tupek was on former KFHS head coach Nevin Oden’s staff back in the mid-90’s.
“Dave and my relationship actually goes back quite a few years,” Corvino admit¬ted. “I remember back then that Dave made a real posi¬tive impression on me. I re¬alize how much knowledge he has and how much he can share as a coach. We’re happy to have him as part of the staff.
“Dave coaches with a lot of enthusiasm and doesn’t have any trouble getting his point across.”
Pratt will also coach the de¬fensive line.
Another veteran KFHS coach who returns is Don Fox’s son, Shane. He’ll be coaching the linebackers and running backs.
“It’s nice to have those two guys back (Pratt and Fox),” Corvino said. “It gives us some continuity.”
Volunteer assistants
Also part of the program are former KFHS quarterback Greg Mace and Shelby Hite’s brother, Andrew (KFHS 2006). Both are college stu¬dents who are serving as vol¬unteer coaches until they re¬turn to school.
“Greg has one year left at Eastern (EWU) and he’ll be here until mid-September,” Corvino said. “He wants to be a coach and he is doing a really good job. Andrew is also helping with the younger kids and is working with our defen¬sive backs.”
Another volunteer assis¬tant is 2007 KFHS grad Cody McBride.
Familiar face Mick Mont¬gom¬ery is also helping with the program this fall.
RUNNING BACKS
Looking good in pre-sea¬son camp so far are returning run¬ning backs Jake Ellison and Trevor Zyskowski. Elli¬son, a quick 5-11, 170-pound senior, moves over to tail¬back from fullback. Zyskowski, a low-slung load at 5-8, 202-pounds, will play fullback.
“Jake reads well and hits the hole hard,” his coach said. “Trevor is a tough kid who was more of a defensive standout for us last season.”
Both players will also start at linebacker.
At the receiver positions are several returning letter win¬ners. Among them: 5-8, 170-pound senior Kolton McInelly; 5-8, 155-pound senior Justin Eddings; 6-0, 165-pound Justin McComb; 6-0, 175-pound Trevor Rob¬erts and 6-1, 170-pound jun¬ior Jack Redding.
THE DEFENSE
As is always the case at Ket¬tle Falls, most of the of¬fensive starters will also be penciled in for defensive as¬signments.
Cody Bake, a 5-8, 165-pound senior, is in the mix at linebacker, along with Ellison and Zyskowski.
Hite will be penciled in at a cornerback spot.
Corvino thinks the defense will be solid.
“We’ve got experience there and some kids who can fly around,” he said.
Place-kicking duties fall on the shoulders of Redding. McComb is the punter.
Corvino hopes that with all the attention focused there, special teams wind up being a team strength.
“That has been a real point of emphasis,” Corvino said.
OUTLOOK
New coach—new wrinkles. With Hite at the controls, look for KFHS to open things up this fall.
“What I like about this group is that I think we can distribute the ball around to different people,” Corvino said. “I think that will be pretty big for us.”
THE OPENER
Kettle will be playing “up” early this season. Riverside of the Class 2A Great North¬ern League will visit Kettle Falls on Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Rams are well coached and like to spread the field and throw the ball around.
DIFFERENT LOOK
With Colfax moving down to Class B-11 and joining the Northeast 2B for football and the Bi-County League for eve¬rything else this fall, the look of the Northeast A has changed.
No longer will NEA teams play league teams on a home and home basis every season.
“It’s the first time in a long time that we will play each league team only once,” Corvino noted.
About the new coach…
Corvino, a 2001 EWU gradu¬ate, was a fullback and middle linebacker during his playing days at Kettle Falls.
He coached at Stanfield (five miles south of Hermis¬ton, OR) for five years before heading back home to Kettle Falls.
Stanfield is an Oregon Class 2A (like B-11 in Wash¬ington) with 150 students (40 percent Hispanic) and a penchant for the other futbol (soccer).
Football success at Stan¬field as been fleeting.
“Two years before I got there, they had to cancel their season because there weren’t enough players,” Corvino re¬called. “And the year before I got there, Stan¬field was playing a junior varsity schedule.”
But the young head coach was able to make some in¬roads at Stanfield, leading them to a playoff berth in the old Blue Mountain Con¬ference.
“It was a good experi¬ence,” he said, noting that “I kind of got thrown right into the mix there.”
The pre-eminent league power was—and still is—Heppner (unbeaten in league play for nine straight sea¬sons).
SCHEDULE
Sept. 5—Riverside at Kettle, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12—KFHS at Bonners Ferry, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19—Deer Park at KFHS, 7 p.m.
Sept. 26—Newport at KFHS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 3—Lakeside at KFHS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10—KFHS at Freeman, 7 p.m.
Oct. 17—KFHS at Newport, 7 p.m.
Oct. 24—KFHS at Chewelah, 7 p.m.
Nov. 7—Crossover with CBL
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 September 2008 )
|
|
Just wanted to wish the Colville High Indians wrestling team
good luck on the season, and congratulate the team on a 6th place overall finish at
the best of the West tournament in Pasco last weekend. Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year from the USMC -Ryan W. |
|
|
|
|
