PORT ANGELES — Where’s the beef?
That’s what Olympic Peninsula Eagles head coach Mike McMahan is wondering after several weeks of practice for his semipro football team.
With 22 players out so far this spring, most of whom are skill position athletes, McMahan is still searching for a few more big bodies to fill out his offensive and defensive lines.
“I’m like 10 players short of having a really good team,” McMahan said. “As far as skill position go, we can hang with anybody.
“We desperately need some big guys. I’ve got enough that I can throw together a line, but that’s with guys going both ways, and that’s tough.”
The second-year owner/head coach’s message to those who might fill that void: “It’s not too late.”
The Eagles will hold a practice on Peninsula College’s artificial turf field at Wally Sigmar Athletic Complex this Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
McMahan invites anyone interested in playing for the Eagles to attend.
All they need is some shoes and “the willingness to want to come out and play.”
“We’ll take care of the rest,” he added.
McMahan said he is committed to finding ways to cover the player fees that might scare some prospective athletes away.
Among the options are selling off season ticket packages ($15 for five games) and selling ad space in the team program.
“[Players] can play for free,” McMahan said. “We’ve got ways that [they] can help the team out and get [their] fee taken care of.”
The Eagles will hold practices for the rest of the year at Peninsula College’s brand-new $1.4 million facility.
Their first game of the season, an exhibition in Tumwater, will be against the Washington Cavaliers next Saturday, April 16.
The regular season begins a few weeks later when the Eagles host the Cascade Extreme of Bellevue at Roosevelt Elementary School on May 7 at 3 p.m.
Some of the players already on the roster include former Forks High School standout Luke Dixon and Clallam Bay star Eric Johnson Jr.
Both earned Peninsula Daily News football MVP honors their senior season in 2008 and ’06, respectively.
They will figure prominently in the Eagles attack this spring and summer.
According to McMahan, Dixon has received interest from the Washington State coaching staff about possibly coming to Pullman.
“They are going to come watch him play,” McMahan said.
“He’s going to be carrying the ball at least 15 times a game for us and playing defense, so they can get a good look at him.”
