Just like many other coaches and school programs this 2020/2021 prep school sports season, regaining some sense normalcy has been both frustrating and exciting at the same time for many programs through out the state. The Wild Coast Compass asked Gold Beach High School varsity football coach Chris Higgins to share ‘A little about his Panthers.’
We had 18 kids come out for football this year to join us in our new adventure into 8-man football. Our 18 kids consist of 10 freshman, 4 sophomores, 1 junior, and 3 seniors. We have a great group of kids here at Gold Beach High School, and I have had the privilege of coaching most of these kids since middle school in multiple sports.
Learning the 8 man game is difficult and fun at the same time. It’s a different game than the 11 man, but I feel confident the coaching staff in place has been able learn the game, teach the game, and to help me put the kids we have, in place on the field to help us succeed.
We are a very young team and we will all grow as a unit to get bigger, faster, and stronger for the future, but we as a staff also know we need to do everything we can to compete, and put our kids in a position to succeed NOW, on and off the field. Coach Chris Clark and I are both on campus coaches and are able to keep tabs on our athletes in the class room and take the necessary steps to help our kids be proactive about school. Much of what we teach in the weight room and on the field is to work hard no matter the circumstance. It’s OK to fail, but it’s not OK to give up. We get better and learn from our failures.
We’re blessed to be playing football again in Oregon. It was hard sitting back and watching some areas of the nation play sports in their normal seasons, while not knowing if we would get to finally kick off in March. Not knowing what was going to happen from week to week was really hard on my kids, and my staff. The kids needed sports and we needed to be around the kids doing what we love to do, and that’s Coach.
We are going to continue to work through obstacles this season, as a district and as a state, just as we have with contact tracing and quarantining that has already hit us this season, as well as many other teams in Oregon. We will continue to push forward with what we have in our hands every week, and prepare our kids the best way we can to compete every Friday night.
