Mud Dawgs head to Optimist Bowl

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Mountain Home players are heading for the Optimist Bowl.

This past Saturday, the Trinity Mountain Mud Dawgs faced the McCue Vipers in a final playoff game of the Idaho Optimists 11-year-old division.

The morning started off with unusual and relentless rain, promising a challenge to both teams. The Mud Dawgs took all with a hard earned 6-0 win, giving them a 14-0 record over the last two seasons.

The history of the small Mountain Home Optimist team goes back four years for some players, while others faced the challenge of team dynamics being new to the Mud Dawgs this year.

For the first time in Mountain Home's Optimist Football history, the Boise Optimists Division took notice. Never before had Mountain Home been viewed as a contender for the Optimist Bowl.

They had come this far by helping each other. Coaches, civilians and military, shuttled kids to and from practice whenever a parent couldn't. Parents flew and drove for miles to make it back home for games on the weekends. And through it all, their cheerleaders were cheering at the top of their lungs through sweltering heat and freezing rain.

"There is one last show this year for these young Gunfighters, Mountain Home. Let's show Boise we not only raise them well, but we support them by the numbers," said the coaches, Mark Hale, Kevin Hodgerson, Todd McCada, Curtis Jackson and Gary Oyler.

The final game is Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. at Bishop Kelly Stadium in Boise when they face Meridian White. "Wear your Tiger Orange to support your Mud Dawg Orange (Tigers class of 2011)."

This year's roster includes: Mike Thomas, Delon Brown, Bryant Jones, Jesse Buck, Adam Miller, Tyler Oyler, Jordan Woodman, Joshua Mcada, Tyree Harmon, Jonathan Ryan, Jordan Grant, Curtis Jackson, Cotton Zamora, Devon Hodgerson, Blake Bowen, Julian Figueroa, Adam Rodriguez, Jerramie Garlock, Jared Georgianna, DeAngelo Hale and James Simon.

Cheerleaders coach is Shannon Ferrell. Cheerleaders are: Erin Bessey, Cheyenne Caracares, Susana Gomez, Harmoniy LaPlante, Holly Lehto, Cheyenne Oyler and Kassandra Simon. Simon and Oyler have brothers on the team.

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In the Sophomore Division (10- year-olds), Mountain Home Optimist closed out their season on a winning note, Saturday beating Meridian Red, 42-6.

C-2 Construction also won, edging Higby Title, 12-6, and Glenns Ferry won their first game, getting past Trinity Mortgage, 8-6.

In the Freshman Division (9- year-olds), Master Electric also won, beating Garrity, 6-0.

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