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St. Helens High School football, then to now

Originally published in The Chronicle Vol. 141

August 16, 2023

WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.

A lot can change in 50 years; the world is constantly adapting and evolving, and so too is the sport of football.

In 1972, The Chronicle wrote a story about how football had developed over the previous half-century. The article featured interviews with the Head Coach of the St. Helens High School Football Team at the time, Dave Kocer, and former coach Jay Austin, who coached the team in the 1920s.

Now, 50 years later, The Chronicle has reconnected with Kocer to get his thoughts on the game’s evolution. The newest member, and current head coach of the St. Helens Lions, Nic Shular, gave his thoughts on today’s game and what he hopes to accomplish with his new group of players.

Then to now

Kocer started coaching in St. Helens at the helm of the junior high school football team. After about three years of coaching the freshman football team, Kocer was called up to be an assistant coach for the high school team. After three years on the staff, Kocer took on head coaching responsibilities.

“We put this offense in; we incorporated the run and shoot. We split two wides and then had two flat backs in there, and then we used a little motion, did things that were totally different at the time,” Kocer said. “We actually were ranked number 5 for AAA in the state.”

In the ‘70s running a spread offense wasn’t as typical as it is today. Kocer and his team benefited from adding three star players

from their basketball team. Kocer and his staff got the athletes downfield and ran a more explosive offense, as opposed to the run-heavy, smash-mouth football that was typical of the time.

One of the biggest changes from Kocer’s time as a player was the implementation of new equipment. When Kocer was in high school, the padding and helmets were a lot different.

“When I played at Oakridge as a freshman, they handed out the helmets, and you’d fold em up and put him in your back pocket, and walk off to practice,” Kocer said. “The old leather helmets.”

Kocer mused about the development of the cage and modern suspension helmets that have been implemented over the years. On the football side, Kocer said that most of the strategy goes in cycles.

Coaching is a game of copycats, and Kocer talked about how he and the coaching staff implemented the single-wing formations that were popular around the time.

“You try to prepare yourself to be the best you can be. Try to get some ideas from other people, copy it, put them out on the field, hope that they help the kids, and make sure that they have some fun at it and that they’re safe,” Kocer said.

Kocer spent 12 years in St. Helens, his last year coaching before taking a job as Athletic Director at Jackson High School in Portland was 1973.

The biggest change that Kocer has seen from his time to now is the preparation and resources students can access in the sport. Kocer said that St. Helens had a disadvantage back then because there was a policy that wouldn’t allow kids to play tackle football until 7th grade.

Kocer said that having

kids start playing tackle football put the program behind the bigger schools at the time, which started much earlier.

“The biggest changes are that the kids of a younger age are motivated to be better players,” Kocer said. “These kids get better faster. They’re stronger. They have weight training. They have things that we really didn’t do, or didn’t have time to do.”

Kocer pushed back on the idea that football is better now, but it’s different because of the new era. In a given era, a team adapts to its competition, and while Kocer said there are creative coaching approaches now when Kocer was coaching in ‘73, they were pushing the boundaries in their own way.

“It’s more fun to coach the run and shoot than lining up and trying to blast for three or four yards; that’s the way we started. So we did both, we were kind of figuring it out,” Kocer said.

St. Helens football this season

Nic Shular is the new Head Coach for the St. Helens Lions this year and is excited to get the new season underway. Shular previously coached in Washington and grew up in Vancouver.

“What kind of interested me in the job is the fact that St. Helens is a one high school, one football team, one town type of place,” Shular said. “Those communities are usually very passionate and supportive, and so that was something that initially piqued my interest.”

Shular is excited about the infrastructure around the team. Shular was impressed with the weight room, the home field, and the financial support that the program enjoys.

One of the priorities for Shular is to bring a winning

culture back to the team after a few down years.

“We have not been experiencing success on the field recently, so it’s a matter of changing that culture, building the correct habits. Getting the kids to believe and trust, because I think there is talent here, but they haven’t experienced that success,” Shular said.

Shular and his team have already started putting in work this summer. They began summer practices in June, but the fall season is approaching.

As a coach in a new program, getting buy-in from the senior members of the team who have been in the program for years can be challenging. Shular said the seniors on this year’s team are hungry for success and have taken Shular’s appointment in stride. For Shular, building relationships is an essential aspect of his approach.

“I want to build relationships, I want to be someone they can trust in. I’m not going to try and motivate through yelling, fear, intimidation,” Shular said. “I

really want to make sure I’m building relationships with these players and get them to understand I truly care about them more than just what they provide on the football field.”

On the gridiron, Shular wants to play an adaptive style that best fits the skill set of his players. Shular said that the team would be playing some spread offense, but they aren’t married to a particular style of play.

Shular played wide receiver in college at California Lutheran University, and he wants to be sure that his offense can be a threat in the air and on the ground. In his time around the game, Shular said offenses are developing to attack the open field.

“From an offensive standpoint, it’s putting an emphasis on creating and utilizing space. Trying to stretch a defense, whether that’s vertically or horizontally, allow there to be open grass and space on the field, and then let athletes create plays in that space,” Shular said.

This echoes Kocer’s sentiments about getting the basketball athletes out into

the field and letting them make plays downfield almost 50 years ago. Another aspect that still holds true 50 years later is the physicality of the game.

“No matter how much the game evolves, it’s still going to be, at its core, a violent sport. It is a sport of collision,” Shular said. “You go against these teams still to this day that will put all 11 guys in the box, and they will go five yards at a time, and if you can’t stop them, they’ll just continue to do that all game.”

As the new season approaches, Shular wants the St. Helens community to know that the team has been working hard, and the program is excited about bringing football back this fall.

“I strongly encourage everyone in the community to come out and support them because I know the more support and love they feel from the community, the harder that’s going to make them work,” Shular said. “Everyone’s in it all together, so we’re going to do our part, and I hope the community does their part as well.”

Westport Fire and Rescue honors citizens’ heroic acts

Originally published in The Chief Vol. 132 August 18, 2023

WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.

The two brave citizens whose heroic actions saved Ronda Hazen’s life from a devastating house fire in Westport have been recognized with a citizens award.

Westport Fire and Rescue honored Breanne Hendricks and Alec Hansen at a Citizen’s Award Ceremony on Aug. 9 for their roles in saving Hazen’s life during a house fire July 10.

“We believe in pride, honor, and integrity when it comes to serving the citizens of Westport, and we will continue to do so. But tonight is not about Westport Fire personnel,” Westport Fire Chief Greg Brody said. “Tonight is about two members of our community who chose to do heroic acts.”

Jeff Hazen, Ronda Hazen’s husband, is a Volunteer Firefighter with Westport Fire and was not home the night of the blaze. That night, Ronda Hazen was awoken by her fire alarm and battled through the flames to get to her front porch, where she collapsed and began screaming for help.

Hendricks, who lives

across the street, heard her screaming and ran across the street to the house and found her on the front porch, under the flames, in intense heat. Hendricks grabbed Hazen under the arms and dragged her away from the house. A short time later, Hansen arrived and assisted Hendricks in getting Ronda Hazen away from the house.

Hansen then attempted to reenter the house and save the beloved family dog.

“Though he tried valiantly, the heat was too intense, and he was forced to retreat. Unfortunately, a beloved family pet died that night, but Alec gave it his best effort,” Brody said at the ceremony.

Jeff Hazen spoke at the award ceremony about what

Hendricks and Hansen’s actions meant to him and his wife.

“The actions of these two people saved my wife’s life,” Jeff Hazen said. “These two, they’re rockstars. I’m glad they did not get hurt. I could not have lived with that if they had gotten hurt. I will forever be indebted to them.”

The ceremony ended with

the presentation of plaques to memorialize their efforts, given to them by Brody.

Hendricks and Hansen were also presented with Westport Fire vests and department mugs.

“Tonight, in this room, we walk among heroes. Heroes are made in the moment. Heroes never plan to be heroes. They receive that

designation in the moment because they chose to do courageous, bold, selfless, and incredible acts, all in the name of helping a stranger to live,” Brody said. While Hendricks did not consider her actions heroic at the time, the gravity of the situation caught up with her once she spoke to the fire chief following the fire. Hendricks talked about the experience in an interview in July with The Chief.

“I didn’t really feel any type of heroic things; it was just so sad, the whole situation; I wish I could have gotten that dog out with Alec, it was really heartbreaking to watch Ronda lose her pet and everything in front of her. I was just trying to be more comforting than anything,” Hendricks said. “After all of them talked to me about that situation, I did feel like, ‘Okay, it was a really good, honorable thing that I did.’”

A friend of the Hazen’s started a GoFundMe to help offer financial support that has already raised more than $4,000. While the tragedy of losing a home is heartbreaking, it’s times like these when the community comes together to lift each other up. Read more about the fire and see photos with this story at thecheifnews.com.

Courtesy from Nic Shular

Nic Shular is excited to be coaching in a town that gets behind their hometown team.

Courtesy photo from Westport Fire

Fire Chief Greg Brody presents Breanne Hendricks and Alec Hansen with commemorative plaques.