How Sequim High School tood its Football Program from bad, to good, to great

WuHeEN BEING Goop Is Just Not Goop ENouGH How Sequim High School took its football program from bad to good to great A“ nine losing seasons, Sequim High School finished its 2003 season at 7-3. It was the if the team had been sold on working harder in the preceding off-season, they would have played better team’s best showing since 1978, and their record in those first four games and would have had an even even included two victories against previously better record.” undefeated teams. The players from this 3A school in Wiker was determined to get his team into peak Sequim, Washington, were thrilled with their condition for the 2004 season, but he had his work performance — and rightly so.

But Erik Wiker, who cut out for him: At Sequim it wasn’t just a case of was promoted to head coach after that breakout getting the players to work harder — for many it was season, wasn’t ready to settle for a good year: he a major challenge to get them to just show up! wanted a great year.

“When I was the offensive line coach and strength “Last year we'd had a six-game winning streak coach at my previous high school, | would have 50 at the end of the season.” says Wiker. “I thought that guys in the weightroom, four days a week. When I 2003. Last year they took their program to the next level with a 10-0 record. first came to Sequim, | would see 10, maybe 15 never had, you have to be willing to do something guys. Many players I wouldn’t see for three months, you've never done.” The team also did goal setting. and some not until the first day of practice — and “They said they wanted to finish 10-0 and be league some of them didn’t even show up for that!”

champs, and we haven’t been able to accomplish When Wiker took over the program, he set about those goals since 1978. To achieve such success, to increasing interest in off-season training by go on to that next level, I told them they couldn't do establishing an awards system. He called it the Wolf things the same way they did before.”

Deeds program, and it involved recognizing offseason activities by on the back of the players’ football helmets. “What | worked hard and complimented each other. The did was give the players off-season points for results? In 2004 the Sequim Wolves not only everything they did, such as lifting weights, continued their winning ways but also succeeded in participating in spring ball, our summer football finishing the regular season undefeated: 10-0. In the camp, other sports and academics,” says Wiker. “For playoffs, competing against Franklin-Pearce from workouts, they would get one sticker for every four workouts they completed.

Soon we were averaging winning point decided by a field goal that bounced 30 guys in the weightroom a day.” off the uprights and went in.

In addition to getting the players involved in offseason training, he also implemented an intense inseason program. Wiker said it was a shock for many of the players to learn that during the season they When Wiker took over the Wolves, one thing he would be lifting on Monday and Wednesday wanted to use to jump-start the program was a BFS mornings. “A lot of them were saying, ‘Oh man. | clinic. He asked a former coach and long-time friend thought it was going to be like last year when we of his. Coach Bruce Shearer from Burlington-Edison High School in Burlington, Washington, about the right last year, but don’t you want to do better than idea. Shearer agreed that it would be a smart move.

that?”

“Bruce said do it, for sure! From there Wiker talked To reinforce this message, Wiker used a quote to John Rowbotham and ended up scheduling a twohe heard at the BFS clinic that inspired pro baseball day clinic with over 80 participants, both girls and player Tagg Bozied, “If you want something you've boys. “Before the clinic none of the other teams One of the keys to the Wolves' success was an increased emph sis on weight training, not just off-season but also in-season. wanted to help or had much interest, but that changed after the clinic.” One reason was John Nelson. When Wiker first called to schedule the c was the importance of always emphasizing good technique, especially in the squat.

“There's a big difference in how much weight you lift when you do Rowbotham thought that he wouldn’t be able to the squat right and hit true parallel,” says Wiker. make it because he'd be attending his sister’s “After the clinic I erased all our old lifting records, graduation that Thursday and also would be taking because I wanted to have our athletes doing the lifts care of his friend John “Nellie” the right way.” assistant football coach at Pacific Lutheran restrictions, Wiker still had two athletes squat over University, is paralyzed from the neck down from a 400, and he’s seen the number of athletes power disease called arthrogryposis.

“John said that if he cleaning over 200 increase from two to eight. “And could bring Nellie, he could do the clinic.” So Nellie you have to understand — when we started we were so came, and on Saturday Nellie got the opportunity to weak that we had linemen who couldn’t even bench address the participants as a group. “Nellie touched press 200!” so many kids — it was awesome. He talked for about a half an hour, and it was really a great experience for everyone.” One of the training concepts that Wiker got from the clinic was the value of lifts such as the towel bench and box squat. “We had As he develops his team for next year, Wiker says he doesn’t agree with the motto “If you stay, you play.”

“Adopting such an attitude doesn’t motivate a never used the towel bench or box squat, but now kid to work out hard — a freshman can beat out a we're doing these all the time, and now ail the other senior. That being said, | believe loyalty is huge. If a sports want to join in and have me help them. The player works harder in the off-season than the starter box squat really helped us a lot to stay strong during in that position from last season, | could put that the season. On Wednesday mornings I had all the player ahead of the starter during our first practices.

kids box squatting a lot of weight, but they recovered But I'll tell them, ‘I’m giving you this shot because really fast — 1 know because we always had our of your work ethic, but the position is yours to lose. If toughest practice on Wednesdays, and I never heard start because it’s for the good of the team.” morning workout and I feel tight.”

Having a strong junior varsity team is important to Sequim High School, but at first Wiker had to All athletes, male and female, have access to a super weightroom and great coaching at Sequim High School. convince the JV players to agree with that philosophy happened to beat somebody bad.” and work hard. He shares the experience of a kid who felt that he wasting his time because he didn’t “L tell my players, “To improve our ranking on a piece of paper from Seattle is no reason to run up the make the varsity team. “I said, ‘What are you talking score. Those kids work hard over there too, and they about?

Our JV team only lost one game, and you did don’t deserve to be humiliated in front of everybody by the score — that’s not what it’s all about.’ My first — we just happened to have a senior-loaded team.’ It year here, a team we were playing was up 54-0 as was hard for him to see that because he didn’t get all time was running out at the half, and then they called the benefits — kids want to be the stars. I try to tell them that the best thing for some of them is to be on good came out of that game: our kids were totally JV so they can play a lot, and not just sit on bench on devastated.” varsity. And they don’t see that all the time.

They Asked about what he thought of the movie Friday Night Lights, Wiker replied, “I don’t think that want to be on varsity; that’s a huge thing for them. A couple days later that kid how selfish I was being. a time out so they could kick a field goal. Nothing is the average high school, and from a coaching point of view I believe the coach shouldn’t have allowed Wiker’s concept of team unity is reflected in his that parent to yell at his kid and come onto the field. zero tolerance policy towards hazing. “We treat That’s really humiliating for the kid to have that everybody with respect at Sequim High School, and happen, especially in front of everybody.

The coach just because you're varsity doesn’t mean you're better should have said to that parent, ‘Hey, parents are not Or more important than the freshmen. We don’t have allowed on the field at practice, and please don’t freshmen carrying the bags of seniors or doing ail the address him this way at practice.” cleanup — in fact, I'll often ask the team captains or the older kids to clean up after practice. And when we Wiker also says he was also bothered that the movie gave the impression that football is everything. do activities, we try to get the whole team involved.”

“Football is not life, but a vehicle for kids to learn During games, Wiker also insists on treating his about life. After we lost the playoff game, I told my opponents with respect. One way he shows it is by players that this loss would help them overcome obstacles later in life. T told them that they are means a higher state ranking. undefeated this year, there were other teams in front disappointments forever — they bounce back to of us with one loss and two-loss records because they NEW!

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From BFS Magazine — January/February 2005. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).