Game Recap SUU vs NAU

FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ, – The Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team dropped a tough one to their rival Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 31-23. The Thunderbirds dropped to 0-4 on the season while the Lumberjacks improve to 2-2.

The Thunderbirds got off to a very poor start when Chris Helbig threw an interception while the Thunderbirds were seemingly driving.

This was SUU’s 4th loss in a row after playing Oregon State and Arizona tough. Both are Pac 12 teams. This was SUU’s first game in their quest to repeat as Big Sky champions.

The story of the game came right before halftime when SUU’s starting quarterback Chris Helbig was sacked and was hurt on the play. Backup Aaron Zwahlen took over, but was intercepted on his first pass. It seemed as Southern Utah’s hopes were crushed when Helbig came on the sideline in a sling.

Zwahlen tried to carry SUU to a comeback win, but NAU was just too much. The story of the game was SUU getting back into the game and then NAU promptly responding with a quick score.

Zwahlen had an opportunity to tie the game up with just a few minutes left, but with the score 31-23, he throws an interception that sealed the game for the Lumberjacks.

Next game:

SUU (0-4): Sat Oct 6 @ Eastern Washington

NAU (2-2): Sat Sept 29 @ Idaho State

 

 

If I was the SUU athletic Director for a Day.

If I was the SUU athletic director for a day the first thing that I would do is I would reinstate the baseball program. Coming to SUU I was excited to go to baseball games, but then learning they did not have one stung. I think that every school should have a baseball team. It is America’s Pastime after all. Reading about the baseball team was saddening because SUU’s team was very good. I feel like bringing back the team would be awesome for the school. I would want to reinstate the team. While the team would not have immediate success, I would hope that with the return of the baseball team, players would come to SUU. Another thing that I would do would be to help out the hockey team. Since SUU’s hockey team is so new I would want to promote the heck out of it, I believe that if SUU marketed the hockey team they could get some good crowds. Along those lines, the basketball team struggles with attendance.  I would want to market the team more, It seems like other than football games our sports teams do not have great crowds. I feel like a lot of that is marketing or the lack of exposer. Set up banners, fliers, and ads all around campus. One of the biggest ways to increase attendance is to have a competitive team,. The basketball team has struggled and that is a major factor why the attendance is low.

Would I allow my kids to play football

One of the biggest questions in youth sports is should kids be allowed to play tackle football. In a recent study Pop Warner Football participation has been going down for years. If my kids wanted to play football I would absolutely let them. I played football for one year in high school and it was an amazing experience. A football team is more than a team. They are a big family. All sports, especially football teach kids valuable life lessons. I think football is a great sports for kids. Sure start them out in flag, but as they get older let them play Pop Warner. I wish I would have played Pop Warner. If we are going to stop kids from playing sports because of injuries then kids should only be allowed to play tennis and golf. Kids at that age simply are not hitting hard enough to do a lot of real damage. Also every year helmets are getting better. If Pop Warner should be banned then what is the right age for tackle? While I understand the concern with head injuries, we have to let kids play. Let them get dirty. It’s a sport. Look at the NFL, they are trying to make the game safer and look what it’s doing. Did you watch the Packers Vikings game (don’t even get me started). I think if kids want to play Pop Warner they should be allowed to. What about soccer? Soccer has a huge concussion issue because of headers. Should we eliminate headers? Should kids not play soccer? Another huge issue with getting rid of Pop Warner is that kids won’t be taught how to tackle at a young age. The great thing about Pop Warner is that the coaches teach the kids how and how not to tackle. I think getting rid of Pop Warner hurts kids more than it keeps them safe.

Game Story

CEDAR CITY, Utah- The Southern Utah Thunderbirds (Big Sky) soccer team picked up their first win as they defeated the UNLV Rebels (Mountain West). SUU’s previous losses came at the hands of the University of Nevada Wolfpack and Michigan State Spartans. UNLV came into the game undefeated (2-0). The game got off to a rocky start as the game was delayed two-and-a-half-hours because of lightning. When the game did start SUU struck fast. Taylor Harris got her first goal of the game, assisted by Devri Hartle, just 6:50 into the game. Then MaKenzie Lawrence stuck again for the Thunderbirds 1:19 after the first goal netting her first goal of the season. Those two quick goals were certainly the deciding factor as UNLV Head coach Chris Shaw said “No excuses, we weren’t good enough tonight. We gave up two early goals and just never recovered. Credit to SUU for battling and making things tough for us.” UNLV was 2-0 before the loss to SUU. After the two goals; however, SUU went quiet. UNLV outshot 18-9, but Brianna Aldridge held it down for SUU, earning her first career win. Along with being outshot UNLV had a 10-3 on corner kicks. While SUU was able to win SUU Head coach Fred Thompson had some concerns. He said “We had about four or five other really good opportunities to roll somebody in and go straight to goal. I’m never going to turn down a 2-0 lead, but we need to learn how to handle it better and extend that lead when we get our opportunities.”

Up next:

Southern Utah (1-2) will face University of Nevada at home on Sunday August 26.

UNLV (2-1) will go on the road to play Utah State on Saturday August 25

Is Cheerleading a Sport?

Is cheerleading a sport? This is a question that has been talked about for a long time. My answer is pretty simple, No. When we think of sports what do we think of? Baseball, football, basketball, hockey, motorsports, etc. For a lot of these events there are cheerleaders performing, As an example, at SUU football games we have cheerleaders performing. I would not say that there are two sports going on. There is a football game happening and cheerleaders are performing. That does not make what they do any less impressive, but i would not consider it a sport. A more valid for cheerleading as a sport would be for those cheerleaders who go competitions to compete.

Most Memorable Pro Sports Moment

My most memorable sports moment was the NASCAR Championship Race at Homestead Miami Speedway. I was visiting my grandparents for thanksgiving and it just so happened that the race at Homestead was that weekend. So my parents and I got tickets and went. I forget what year it was exactly, but it was between 2006-2010. I believe it was 2009 or 10 because it was when Jimmie Johnson won another championship. This was when he either won 4 or 5 in a row. Jimmie won five championships in a row. I have always loved going to the track for the sounds, the smells, and the races are always awesome. I did not realize at the time, but I got to witness history. I do wish I would have been older then so that I could of truly grasped what I just watched. I got to see Jimmie Johnson win a championship. I have never been to a playoff game or a championship game except for this race so it was a really cool experience getting to see someone win a championship. One of my favorite parts of races are the merch haulers. There are haulers of practically every driver and you can walk for a while and look for merch. Going to races in person are a hundred times better than on tv. Going to Homestead was defiantly a dream of mine. To see a Champ crowned was awesome. Now all I need to do is go to Talledega, Daytona, and Martinsville,

My most embarrassing sports moment

I was never the most athletic kid. I was never very fast or that tall. Sports were always fun, but challenging. I was never really good at organized sports. I was okay, but never great. While I don’t have too many embarrassing moments, one for sure sticks out. I played football in high school my freshman year. I played for one year and then I stopped. We were in practice and I was playing linebacker in team drills. I got absolutely lit up by one of the tight ends. He was a lot bigger than I was so it was not a fun rep. I got hit, everyone on the team did the typical “OOOOOO” after any big hit. I was not that embarrassed at first, that stuff happens, but it gets a bit embarrassing when he makes it a point to say something every time he saw me for the rest of practice.That got old real quick. The hit wasn’t really that hard. I mean it didn’t feel great and I hit the turf real quick. but I popped right back up. I felt fine. It was certainly not a fun experience, but I learned that I can take a hit. As far as embarrassing stories go, mine isn’t horrible, which I am grateful for. The thing that happened with me happens if you play football.

My Favorite Coach

My favorite coach was my high school golf coach. I worked with him freshman-junior year. He was also my english teacher for two years. He was one of my favorites because of bow he treated us. He always treated us with respect, but was also tough. He did not want us messing around when we were at the course or at the range. During rounds he would either be playing with us or riding around in a cart for matches. He would always ask us how we were doing. Usually I would reply with, “Not great, alright, or the occasional GOOD!” He was always there to support us and if we ever needed help, to help us. Those three years were the most enjoyable. My first year was a bit tough because so many of the guys on my team were so so good. It was a struggle. I was on the bottom of team scoring a fair amount, but I kept going. He was a big part of that. He always helped me keep my head up. No matter how poor or well I was playing he tried to keep me level headed. That is difficult because I can be very hard on myself. The issue with golf is that if you get too frustrated, angry, or low on yourself you are screwed for the round. You can’t really recover. If you are playing well and confident that usually carries. It is all about your mindset. My golf coach always helped me remember that, which has helped to this day.

My Greatest Athletic Achievement.

I have loved sports my entire life. I have never been the best at them. I was never really athletically gifted. But golf was a sport I always loved to play. That was because of my grandpa. R.I.P. Miss ya every day Pop. I started playing golf on and off when I was younger. As I got into 7th-8th grade I started playing it more frequently. There were still times in which I stopped, but I always came back. I have a couple achievements that come to my mind. Around a year ago I broke 40 for the first time. It was just one of those rounds in which I was on. On July 22, 2017 I was playing at the course closest to my house, playing by myself (of course I was that day). I started the day off with a bogey on a par 4 so I figured, ok this will be an ok round. Then a par, then another bogey. I felt really good how I was playing, but then holes 4-7 happened. I parred 4 straight holes. I was absolutely ecstatic. I ended up getting bogey on the last two holes for a total score of 39. I was most proud that I did not have a double bogey, but that was simply one of those days in which I was on. Another time in which I am proud of was when I scored an 82 in Florida. My grandparents lived there for a number of years and they belonged to a club there. So when I visited there I played a lot. My grandma let me go play by myself and I ended up shooting an 82! A personal best on 18 holes. What is crazy about that round was that I started with a double bogey! Boy did I come back from that. A small achievement that I am proud of is that last year at Cedar Ridge I hit my first 300+ yard drive. I have never been someone that hits the ball a ton, but last year I hit two crazy drives. One 310 and another around 330 yards. The thin air for sure helped. I will always remember all three of these moments.