FOOTBALL 2001

Tony Overman/The Olympian
Olympia senior quarterback Reid Hamblet also doubles as the holder for the Bears, who open their season Friday, September 7, 2001, against new league foe Shelton at Ingersoll Stadium.

Tony Overman/The Olympian
Senior Tony Volponi anchors Olympia's experienced offensive and defensive lines.

Hamblet

Simmonds

Experienced Bears hope chemistry the key

Players pledge team unity will lift them to victory

ELLIOTT SMITH, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- A lot of football teams toss around the word "chemistry," but only a few practice what they preach.

The Olympia Bears are one of those teams.

How together are these Bears?

For starters, they talk of providing more encouragement for good plays in order to keep morale high.

Players are known to exchange high-fives during discussions.

And the seniors -- believe it or not -- actually want to make the underclassmen part of their social scene.

"We try to go out of our way to invite them to things with us," senior lineman Tony Volponi said. "We're a great family."

The Bears return 35 letterman and 11 starters from last season's squad, many of whom are very familiar with one another.

"A lot of these kids have played together since little league," Olympia coach Bill Beattie said. "They've seen how teams that have been together do well and teams that didn't have unity struggle."

So the Bears are putting up a united front to help carry them through a tough Narrows League slate.

"We all understand that we're not one of those teams that has one or two superstars," senior quarterback Reid Hamblet said.

"Our philosophy is that it's not the best 11 players that win, but the best 11 players that play together."

Hamblet will lead an offense that lost power running back Mike McInelly to graduation, but returns two players -- seniors Brian Evans and Jeff Ames -- who saw extensive playing time last season.

"Evans has been a good player for three years now," Beattie said. "He's a darn good back who will give you everything he has. And Ames is a good utility player."

Defensively, the Bears should be solid. Lineman Zak DeBakker and linebacker Mark Simmonds provide some heft up front, while safeties John Kosturos and Nick Strohmeier patrol the defensive backfield.

"I feel like we should be solid up the middle," Beattie said. "I feel we've got a good mix of experience and seniors out there. Hopefully, defense will be our strong suit."

As well as intangibles.

"Last year we didn't have chemistry," Volponi said. "Everyone was split up into different groups, doing their own thing. It wasn't good."

And this year?

"It's great," Simmonds said while slapping five with Volponi.

That kind of enthusiasm makes Beattie proud of his Bears.

"That's our philosophy," he said. "We're big on being a team. We're big on building the Bear football family. We get a lot of people who come back and talk to the team about Olympia football. They know they're part of a big family. They're playing for themselves and for their community. They need to feel that's important."

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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Olympia Bears

-COACH: Bill Beattie (7th year).

-2000 RECORD: 5-4.

-RETURNING STARTERS: 5/6.

-OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE SET: Multiple; 4-3.

-KEY RETURNERS: Tony Volponi, OT, sr., 6-5, 280; Reid Hamblet, QB, sr., 6-2, 185; Kyle Long, WR, sr., 5-10, 180; Zak DeBakker, DL, sr., 6-2, 220; Mark Simmonds, LB, sr., 6-1, 195; Nick Strohmeier DB, sr., 6-4, 225.

-STRENGTHS: Olympia gained a lot of experience during 5-4 season, returning 35 lettermen. That will eliminate a lot of Friday night jitters. Unity will pay off when backs are against wall.

-WEAKNESSES: Ingersoll Stadium. Beattie believes the old facility does the Bears injustice. "It's a total disgrace. The field is not in good shape and the lighting is poor. As far as a facility goes, it's not very good."

-WHAT TO EXPECT: Togetherness will only take Olympia so far. The Bears will need to produce consistently to get through a tough Narrows League slate.

Schedule

Fri., Sept. 7 SHELTON

Fri., Sept. 14 at Foss

Fri., Sept. 21 LINCOLN

Fri., Sept. 28 at Mt. Tahoma

Fri., Oct. 5 CAPITAL -- 7:30

Fri., Oct. 12 STADIUM

Thu., Oct 18 at Wilson

Thu. Oct. 25 at Bellarmine

Thu. Nov. 11 League cross-over

Home games in CAPITALS.

All games at 7 p.m, unless noted.