CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
What was supposed to be a “rebuilding” year for the Ione Middle School football team turned out to be an undefeated season despite having only 11 players – more than half of whom were sixth graders.
“The Cardinals had a very young team this year, and on paper, this should have been a rebuilding year for Ione,” said Jim Raible, one of the team’s coaches.
Raible said the Cardinals began the season with 14 players and half of them were sixth graders. They ended the season with just 11 active players, with six being sixth graders.
With such a young and undermanned team, some changes were going to have to be made.
“Coach Dale Holland changed the way he taught during practice and the way he coached during the games to accommodate for the lack of experience and size,” Raible said.
During the first few games of the season, Raible said the younger players had the opportunity to log a lot of playing time, gaining invaluable experience.
Success on the field was immediate. The routed Echo, 58-12; shut out South Wasco, 50-0; blew by Sherman County, 68-22; and had little trouble in a 24-6 win over Condon.
Raible said that by the time the Cardinals traveled to Dufur – a team they hadn’t beaten in several years – the players did not think of themselves as underdogs anymore.
“When they took to field, they were confident and prepared,” Raible said.
And while it was a close game throughout, Ione never trailed, capping off an undefeated 5-0 season with a 24-20 victory.
