Fort Hall Warriors: Top left: Curtis Suetopka; Paul Little; Franklin Miller; Talon Saiz; Rodney Blackhawk Jr.; Jeremy Willard; Young Chief Washakie; Tyvan Farmer; Harley Farmer; Rodney Blackhawk; Shane Farmer. Bottom row left: Ryan Pokibro; Kenyon Lopez; Laine Sequints; Rendell Pokibro; Nephi Burns; Sayveen Tindore and Kiel Sabori.

Commitment is important in sports

• commitment: the state of being dedicated to a cause, activity.
• responsibility: something that takes up time or energy, especially an obligation
• loyalty: devotion or dedication, e.g. to a cause, person, or relationship
• previously planned engagement: a planned arrangement or activity that cannot be avoided.
The reason the word commitment is at the top of the page is so that everybody understands what it means. Not only for the youth but adults also. Last weekend the Fort Hall 6th grade team who were 2 wins and 1 loss were defeated 36 – 6 by the Malad Seahawks. Before I say anything further I want to say thank you to the parents of the players that showed up and that I’m very proud of the boys who took the field Saturday, all 12 of you.
We had 11 players play the whole game and our 12th player was out with an injury but he was still there to support his team. We coaches of the Fort Hall Little League football program know that football takes a lot of practice and it is hard to teach kids when they don’t show up for practice but when its game time they want to play or when a kid has practiced all week and does not show up to play on Saturday. Is it the kid’s fault or parent’s fault? Who is the one not committed? I know I have my faults but when it came to my kids sports I made sure they got to there games and things because I saw how hard they worked in practice and didn’t want to take that from them. We are not only trying to teach the kids the game of football but the values that the game teaches— teamwork, responsibility, sportsmanship etc.
During a game of football it is like a family home, when you’re winning everybody is happy and saying good things to each other but when you're losing and things aren’t going good (home game) people say and do mean things. So if you're not going to be committed to what ever you do, don’t start. Sports bring out the character of a person and I’m very proud of the 12 I had Saturday, we just came up a little short.

Broncos defeat rival Snake River

Pictured are on left Quarterback Alonzo Ramos running with the ball and BHS cheerleaders Naivitsy Yabeney and Alexa Rodriguez (Roselynn Wahtomy photos)

BLACKFOOT – In their first rival matchup of the season the Blackfoot Broncos were victorious over the Snake River Panthers 56 to 22 on Friday night, September 14.
Setting the pace for the entire game Blackfoot took the lead early in the first scoring first 6 to 0 with 5:04 left in the first quarter.
The Broncos smart playing and leadership of quarterback Alonzo Ramos, Shoshone-Bannock tribal member, was one of the main factors that lead to the win. Ramos had three touchdowns and passed 236 yards throughout the game. Blackfoot will play again at home on Friday against Preston at 7 p.m.

The Chiefs own Mark Tendoy tackles a Bobcat player. (Lori Edmo-Suppah photo)

Sho-Ban loses to Clark County 53 to 16; defense continues to struggle

By LORI EDMO-SUPPAH
Sho-Ban News
DUBOIS — The Sho-Ban Chiefs lost to the Clark County Bobcats 52 to 16 Friday, September 14 on the road.
Sho-Ban Coach Lyndon Smith said although they had a good game plan, the team took a step backward because the defense struggled again.
The first quarter both teams were scoreless but the Chiefs were down 16 to 0 in the second. The Bobcats scored two more touchdowns and Sho-Ban had one as it was 32 to 8 at halftime.
Sho-Ban started the third quarter with a couple of long passes from Christian Silk to Leonard Edmo. They made it in Bobcat territory to the 30-yard line but didn’t score. Clark County scored with 7:18 in the third with the score 38 to 8. Sho-Ban was close to scoring at the end of the third quarter but a Clark County interception stopped it and the quarter ended. The fourth quarter began with Sho-Ban scoring on an Aaron Roy run making it 38 to 16. Clark county scored again making it 44 to 16. The Bobcats scored one more touchdown ending the game 52 to 16.
Coach Smith said Christian Silk had 278 yards in passing, along with two interceptions. Leonard Edmo had 198 receiving yards. Aaron Roy had 150 yards in passing and two interceptions.
Smith also said the officials weren’t very friendly with 17 penalties on Sho-Ban compared to two on Clark County.
“We had our chances in the third quarter,” Smith said but some coaching calls he made weren’t in the Chiefs favor either.
The Chiefs Homecoming game is Friday, September 21 at 6 p.m. against Castleford.

Sho-Ban Chief Aaron Roy is heavily defended against as he runs with the ball.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has put all athletic programs at Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas on probation through 2014 for “violations involving ineligible players.'' The penalty took effect Monday at the Lawrence school, said NAIA spokeswoman Kay Hawes.
No other information was provided on the association's website, and Hawes said specific information on violations and penalties is available only from institutions themselves. University spokesman Stephen Prue said Wednesday that the school was drafting a statement.
In May, the school announced a Department of Education investigation into falsified student-athlete test scores had resulted in “official action on the employees and students involved.'' It was not immediately clear if the NAIA's action was related to that investigation.
In a news release at the time, the school said ACT scores dating back to 2008 were involved and that employees were “disciplined for manipulation of three other student transcripts.'' Two employees involved no longer work at Haskell, and some games were to be forfeited, according to the release.
The release also noted that changes had been made to the schools' database and admission process.
Nedra Darling, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which overseas Haskell, didn't immediately return a phone message Wednesday seeking comment. Nor did Liz Utrup, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education.
According to the NAIA handbook, the use of ineligible students leads to the forfeiture of “all contests in which the ineligible student participated.'' Athletes also lose at least one season of eligibility.
Institutions placed on probation also must submit a written response detailing the corrective measures they plan to take. Future violations can lead to the suspension of programs, a move that would bar them from postseason play, the handbook says.
Haskell is part of the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference. The conference's commissioner, Al Waller, said he knew few details about what happened.
“They've had some issues in the past with eligibility problems, so I think that's one of the reasons the NAIA came down pretty hard on them,'' he said.
He noted that many Haskell students come from schools on American Indian reservations. “I know they have a lot of trouble getting information on student-athletes for eligibility purposes,'' he said. “We try to work with them as much as we can. We know it's not an easy situation.''