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C.S. Lewis recruits Fox grad as new
volleyball coach
Grant named GFU's new associate director of
athletics
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Like father like son, sort of |
The longtime volleyball coach will take over the
duties of Pat Bailey, who left for OSU recently |
By B. Scott Anderson, Newberg
Graphic sports editor
E-mail Scott at banderson@eaglenewspapers.com
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Eric and Andrew Carlson are father and
son. And teacher and pupil. And coach and player. And while it might
strike some as odd, it doesn’t bother the pair one bit.
For those who have completely ignored Newberg High School football
for the past 18 years, Eric Carlson has been the head coach of the
Tigers for nearly two decades. Andrew is his son, a senior wide
receiver at NHS.
Well before Andrew
ever had to sit in Eric’s classroom and learn about history or
global studies, he had become accustomed to having a parent in the
classroom. Andrew not only has a father teaching in Newberg, his
mother Kari teaches fifth-grade at Antonia Crater Elementary.
“I got kind of used to (having) my mom as a fifth-grade teacher,”
Andrew said. He didn’t really notice any difference being in a
classroom led by a parent. Eric said that he uses objective grading
methods in his classroom, looking for specific words or concepts in
essay questions, but he still might look at Andrew’s tests a little
longer to ensure he isn’t biased either way. The sole benefit for
Andrew would be to know at dinner the result of his labor.
On the field it occasionally is harder for Eric to keep that cool
professional eye. Eric particularly remembers game nine of last
year’s season when Andrew suffered a concussion after an accidental
contact. “I always care when my players get hurt,” said Eric, but
added it was a “strange situation” to continue to coach while his
son’s injury was being assessed. In that case, as in many others, he
relied on the judgment of the team’s trainer, Gretchen Nylander.
Eric doesn’t know football from the coaching side only, he played
in high school and went on to quarterback for Pacific Lutheran
University. Like many parents he played a lot of catch with Andrew,
but never forced him to play football. As a matter of fact Andrew
spent a season playing soccer in fourth-grade.
During Andrew’s first two seasons playing at NHS, he indeed tried
out for quarterback, until he moved on to varsity his junior year.
The team already had a big, strong quarterback, Eric said. That’s
when it dawned on him: after all those years of playing catch,
Andrew’s ideal position was wide receiver. Wide receiver is how
Andrew describes himself, immediately drawing a stare from dad. He
also plays free safety.
“I want him to realize defense is as important,” Eric said.
The strategy at Newberg, like any high school, is dependent on the
number and size of the senior class. With the Oregon School
Activities Association to a six-level classification system, Newberg
is now one of the smallest school in its league, which Eric said has
had a direct impact on its success.
“We’re not gonna have the most physical talent,” he said, adding
that the team can overcome that hindrance with good coaching and
hard work.
And dedication, of course. Eric said that in the three decades
since he played high school ball the requirements have changed. The
game is still the same, but coaches keep inventing new strategies
and running new plays that force their opponents to come up with new
solutions. The biggest difference, he said, is that at the 6A level
players now train year-round to remain competitive.
Andrew said that having his father coach enables him to gain
greater insight into the game. “I learned a lot from having him as a
coach,” he says. Over the years he’s heard all about Newberg
football — who’s a good player, and who’s not, and why. Eric said
it’s a mental game as well as a physical game, a game that requires
players pay attention and stay focused. |
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From
Aug. 18, 2007, Newberg Graphic
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