YATES CENTER — Friday night football will be full of tradition for the Yates Center High School Wildcats.
The Wildcats will host their triangular jamboree with Sedan and Hartford in DeLay Stadium, abandoned for almost 20 years, as part of the town’s 150th sesquicentennial weekend celebration.
In addition to a different venue, the team has been practicing a slightly modified version of the Oklahoma Drill.
“Now that we got the pads on, we separate the boys from the men,” Yates Center coach Ryan Panko said. “Luckily for us, we only have 14 players so most of our kids are prepped and ready to go in that area. It gives us a chance to get to know our team personnel-wise and kids get to hit. They love to hit.”
As part of the drill, two players lay on their backs with one holding a football. When the coach whistles, the designated runner and tackler roll to their feet. As the runner attempts to bowl over the tackler, the tackler has an ideal angle on the runner and potentially a massive collision. Over the years, the drill developed a reputation for being too dangerous and coaches added modifications to reduce concussive collisions.
“We try not to hit too much because with 14 players we can’t afford to lose anyone,” Panko said.
Yates Center added an offensive and defensive lineman in the middle, creating an obstacle and allowing linemen to work on their moves and counter moves. Instead of hitting head-on, the Wildcats forced defenders to make tackles from an angle and more reminiscent of what they would see in a live scenario such as what Yates Center will experience Friday.
“I’m ready for it. I’ve been ready since last year,” Yates Center senior Blake Morrison said.
Implementing the Oklahoma Drill seemed fitting considering the Wildcats will play at DeLay Stadium for the first time since 2006. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
“We get to see where we’re at as a team and how we execute our formations and our plays,” Panko said. “It’s a good way to see where we’re at at the start of the season. I’m pretty excited about that.”
For many Wildcats, facing someone not wearing blue and white will be a relief. After spending the summer in the weight room and the past two weeks in sweltering heat, feeling their first pop of their shoulder pads is long overdue.
“I tell freshmen to enjoy it while they can. It felt like just last year I was a freshman,” Morrison said.
