Youth football in new league

Nevada Daily Mail

The Nevada Little League Football program is switching to a different league this season, bringing the Nevada elementary and middle school age student's new competition.

The five Nevada teams (two teams of third and fourth graders and three teams of fifth and sixth graders) now belong to the South East Kansas League. The SEK has teams in Baxter Springs, Columbus, Parsons, Pittsburg, St. Mary's Colgan (Pittsburg).

"Last year it was just Nevada and Sheldon, in years past Fort Scott came over (for games), and after 2014 it was basically just Nevada kids playing each other," NLLF board member and coach Myles Miller said. "That's why we started looking at options. This league in southeast Kansas was looking for new members, so it worked out perfectly for us," Miller said.

Miller said the change in leagues is beneficial to the players because before the move, the players practiced with their opponents.

"One of the main reasons for the move, is we wanted our kids to work together as a team, and not feel like we could practice against each other and not beat up on each other during the games," he said. "In the past it was always practice, but that was our competition so we didn't work together. So we want to work together more. All the kids are Nevada Tigers, and the long-term goal is to work together on their way up [to the high school level]. We think it's important for kids to see different competition versus their buddy at school.

"We don't play each other ever, other than practice. We'll scrimmage against each other, but no games," he said. "You know those games, sometimes they are really good, but they may have caused animosity between the town and teammates you'll play with in the future. We thought it made more sense to come together as a group as opposed to beating each other up. We just thought it was important for us to see other competition."

Miller said at a league jamboree last week he got to see other teams play, and he thought the Nevada teams would have a competitive season.

"We felt we are competitive, and that's the thing. We are the only town that has three teams in fifth and sixth [grade], so we spread or town out more than other teams. Our goal is to get as many players on the field as possible. "We want all of these players to be Nevada Tigers and we think we are headed in the right direction."

One of the changes the SEK has compared to what the coaches from the NLLF are used to, is games must be played on a regulation-size field. Miller said the home games will be played at the high school's field, Logan Field, but the practices will still be held at Twin Lakes Field. Another league rule is players must attend Nevada schools.

Miller said this year the coaches are teaching new tackling techniques to avoid concussions, as part of a new rule. The SEK coaches have to do a USA Heads Up training. Miller said for concussion protocol, coaches watch a three-hour video and take a test.

"Basically they're teaching a new way to tackle," Miller said. "Keeping your head up instead of down, and after some of us [coaches] have been around football for 20 to 25 years, it's an adjustment. It is a little bit different, and it's going to take the kids a little time to adjust to. But it's a league rule; every coach that's coaching them has to have that." With concussions being such a big thing in football, Miller said the league is taking them seriously. He said the coaches bought new helmets with air in them to help protect their players' brains.

"We are excited for this year, we play to win, but there is more to learn about in football than winning," he said. "We think we have a good atmosphere here to learn about football."