Corvallis High's coaching staff

is familiar with the championship setting

By Kevin Hampton

Corvallis Gazette-Times

Today the Corvallis High football team will step on the turf at University of Oregon's Autzen Stadium for the 5A state championship game.

Twenty-years have passed since the Spartans have played in a title game, so it is a first for all the CHS players.

However, some on the sidelines have been there before.

Nearly the entire CHS staff has played for the state championship. Coach Chris McGowan played on the 1983 title team, as did assistant Mike Zandofsky. Assistant Bob Johnson played on two championship teams in 1978 and '79 and Nick Todorovich was on the 1986 team that finished second.

For the most part, the coaches have been quiet about their exploits when talking to the team. They've used their experience to get the players prepared for the game.

"They just know how to prepare us and get us ready for the game," CHS lineman Chris Rath said. "They need us to play four quarters. They keep telling us about playing four quarters of good football and if we do that we should come out with a victory."

Rath said the players are very aware that the coaches have been in the big game before and they want to be a part of CHS sports history.

"I'm kind of jealous. I want to win it," Rath said. "Knowing that they won it and I know they feel good about it. You always want to be the one that's like the best in the state and we've got a chance."

Having a coaching staff with title experience has been an advantage for the Spartans.

CHS linebacker Coty Krebs said they have helped by working the players in a way that got them ready for the run through the playoffs.

"They already know how you have to perform in the game and so when they tell you what to do and how to feel," Krebs said. "You're all that more confident that your coaches have been there and you feel you can do it just as good as they can."

Krebs said the hype for the game has built to a fever pitch at school over the past few weeks.

People have been coming up, looking him in the eyes and asking him if he's ready for the game and the players have been talking about it.

"Being able as a team to go to this game, it's amazing," he said. "The fact that a team hasn't done this in 20 years just blows us away and we're very honored to be in this position. We're going to do everything we can to get the win and bring it back home for CHS and start the tradition over again."

Passing on their experience has been the focus for the coaches.

Corvallis quarterback Drew Hubel said the coaches haven't come out and regaled the team with stories of their glory, but have eased their state championship game knowledge into practice.

"They're not just coming out and telling us what they did or what happened when they were back in their prime, but just more being able to give us knowledge on what can happen and how to handle different situations and where we're at right now," Hubel said. "They know what it's like to win it and they know what it's like to lose it, so they've come from both sides."

None of the current Spartans were even alive the last time CHS played for the title, so the players didn't even get a taste of that success as kids running around the stadium.

The players and staff had to build a winner from scratch.

"It's a long drought for a team that was making it pretty regularly back then," Hubel said. "So it's good to be back. Hopefully we'll kind of regain that prestigious program look down here at Corvallis.

"This is something very special for the team and as far as the program's history. It's a big deal and we might not realize that, being that this is the first time through for us and we just think it's fun, but this is a pretty big deal for guys that haven't been there and have had their fair share of seasons not being there."

Johnson said he's glad the Spartans are going to be able to experience the game first-hand. He knows how much it meant to him and his teammates and it provides fond memories as life moves on.

Johnson was a part of two title teams and said this one not only is big for the seniors, but provides the younger kids an opportunity to see the game up close and gain incentive for the future.

"It's a great goal to achieve and something the guys have worked hard for and not everyone gets there, so it's a big deal for these kids," Johnson said. "I think it's afterwards that they're going to realize how important it really is and only two teams in the state at this level get to play in this last week."