Fall Sports Get Underway In Oskaloosa
The ‘Old Shoe Game’ 2016
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The final days of summer are here, and the school year is here. Student athletes at schools around Iowa have been hard at work preparing for the fall sports season.
Those fall sports have arrived, and in Oskaloosa Friday night, the community got a first look at it’s new head football coach, Jake Jenkins, at the traditional ‘Old Shoe Game’, which is an inter-squad scrimmage.
This year was different than years past, focusing on offense versus defense, and not the maroon versus white split squad scrimmage of the past.
Jenkins talked with Oskaloosa News after the scrimmage, where he admitted there were some ‘nerves’ as he unveiled the new offense, and a new look for the Indians. “It was a lot of fun out here”.
“We’re excited to get things going. We’ve got a lot of things to fix in a week”, says Jenkins, whose team will be taking on the Pella Dutch for their season opener in Pella.
“It’s been excellent”, says Jenkins of his transition to the head coaching position. “It’s been 99.9% positive”.
Jenkins added that the players have been working “really hard this summer. I think it’s the most productive summer we’ve had in a long time.”
Summer strength and conditioning was headed up by William Penn University, with funding provided by the Oskaloosa Indian Booster Club.
Oskaloosa Athletic Director Ryan Parker spoke about the new fall season for the district, and he highlighted the good things going on, not only in football, but volleyball, cross country and swimming.
Parker said that Jenkins has the full support and “we’re backing him”.
With volleyball, Parker said that Head Coach Jennifer Comfort “does a good job. We’ll go to cross country, the other Coach Comfort, (Mike), and says that the team looks to be really strong on both the boys and girls teams.
Girls swimming will open the season in two weeks, “they are putting the hard work into it” says Parker.
The hope is to take the success and momentum that the girls softball team has generated will translate to the fall season.
“You just see what we are doing in the weight room, and that’s not just football. These guys and girls are putting a lot of hard work into that”, says Parker. “We’re just trying to get better every stage, and I think we’re getting better every day”.
