LIONS ENCOURAGED TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR GOBLINS

Lions encouraged to show support for Goblins

STAFF

Harrison Daily | 8/7/2016

PHOTO CREDIT: Staff

Football is just around the corner and the Harrison Lions Club heard from Coach Joel Willis at their Wednesday, July 27 meeting held at the Western Sizzlin’ Steak House in Harrison. Lion President Mark Fowler called the meeting to order with Lion David Artman leading in prayer and Lion Gene Campbell leading in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The members sang “Yankee Doodle Dandy” accompanied by Lion Peter DeStefano at the piano. Lion Don Dunn introduced the guests: Anne Milburn and Rance King, guests of Lion Chris Dorman. Lion Jeff Laur asked the members to be on the look-out for people who might need a hearing aid. We have dollars budgeted for hearing aids and have not had any applicants in recent months.
Lion Wordna Deere introduced Joel Willis, Harrison High School head football coach. Willis says his goals for the team are to be a playoff team, compete every week and change the culture of the whole team. He says he is proud of the guys and wants them to act right and do things right. He wants to build a football program, not a football team, he added.
Willis states that young kids sometimes make mistakes, but he expects them to shape up and learn from their mistakes. Young men want discipline and they get it as football players, stated Willis.
The coach talked about the schedule for this next year. The players are now beginning practice at 7:30 a.m. He said. They recently returned from Branson Team Camp where there were 16 teams participating. He was proud of the guys at the way they performed. The 5A Conference is a little difficult this year. Alma is back in the conference and Little Rock Christian is now non-conference.
Coach Danny Gilbert retired after 37 years of coaching, 25 of those years were in Harrison. Two new young coaches have been hired. Coach Willis talked about the new helmets and explained how they keep getting better each year as well as more expensive. Any time a player is hurt they are required to sit out for seven days symptom free before being back on the field. There is always a meeting of the player, parents, coach, trainer and doctor and all five have to agree the player is able to return to playing.
The first game is Friday, Sept. 2 at the Goblin Stadium playing Mountain Home. Last year the Goblins beat Mountain Home there on their field and they are probably anxious to come to Harrison and try to do the same thing……beat us on our home field.
Willis says several Goblin players are back this year and they will be ready for the Bombers to come to town. Coach encouraged the members to attend all the games that they could and said that the players work hard and need local support. It is so much easier to play with a large home town crowd cheering them to victory, added Willis.
There was a question and answer period. Lion Vixen James won the money pot and donated the money to the club.
Lion Fowler closed the meeting with the members repeating the motto, “We Serve!
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