All football players must have the following completed prior to the first practice session:

• Insurance
• Physical Exam on file in the athletic office. (Download Physical Exam Form)
• Participation fee paid
• Participation and eligibility form read and signed by player and parent.
• Sherwood High Athletic handbook read and signed by player and parent.
• Sherwood Bowmen Football Player/Parent handbook read and signed by player and parent.
• Meet academic eligibility requirements for OSAA and Sherwood schools.   

The following guidelines will be followed by all players participating in our program:

• All practice sessions begin on time.  Players are expected to be dressed and ready to begin practice at the designated times.  Any player who is not prepared to begin when the practice session starts will be excused from that practice session and may be subject to the penalties invoked for a missed practice.
• All players will be dressed in appropriate equipment as designated by the head coach.  Only equipment issued or approved by the head coach will be acceptable.  Any equipment that is broken or in need of repair must be brought to the immediate attention of the coaches and practice must not continue for that player until the problem has been corrected.
• Absences:  Players will occasionally have to miss a practice.  In this case, all players must be cleared to miss a practice session prior to being gone.  (Illness may be cleared by telephone call to the coach).  Players who do not clear their absences may be considered unexcused and subject to the penalties that go with that infraction.  Only those absences cleared by the head coach are considered excused (haircuts, jobs, hunting, etc. are not acceptable excuses).  The following guidelines cover absences:
  • Excused:  A player who is excused from missing a practice or a game will maintain the status of a regular player.  He may, however, lose his starting position as a result of missing the practice session.
  • Unexcused:  A player who misses a practice session that is deemed “unexcused” by the coach will be warned after the first infraction.  If a second violation occurs, the head coach will begin the process for dropping the athlete from the football program.

According to the SHS Student Athlete Handbook: “Dual sport participation is discouraged because of the time commitment involved. However, a student may participate in two sports during the same season provided the parents, coaches, and athletic director approve.” In general, the football coaching staff does not approve of any dual sport participation. All players should be committed to football season.  If an athlete is considering dual participation, they must speak to the head coach at least 3 weeks prior to the first game.  If the head coach denies dual participation and the athlete participates in another sport during the season, the athlete will be removed from the football team. 

All players are expected to dress appropriately for school on game days.  The players will wear their game jersey and clean cut shorts or pants and shoes (no holes or rips in pants or shorts or sagging below waist).  All injured players on the sidelines of the game will wear what they wear to school.  Players will be expected to dress in the uniform issued to them for the game and will only use accessories approved by the head coach.  Any player who arrives late or who is not dressed in time may be subject to discipline by the head coach.  Any player who forgets any equipment or uniform on road games will not be allowed to play in that game.

Football players come to Sherwood High School for the purpose of learning and progressing toward a high school diploma.  All athletes will be students first.  The standards for athletic participation in our district are minimum guidelines set to insure natural progression toward graduation.  Any time the coaches are notified of classroom deficiencies or poor behavior by a player, steps will be taken to improve the situation.  Our players will be expected to keep up with classroom requirements or they will be excluded from participation in the football program until those requirements are met.   

Parents may wish to attend practice sessions.  We welcome this situation but we would appreciate cooperation in doing so.  All parents and friends who come to observe our players in their practice sessions are asked to remain on the sidelines away from the drills.  We appreciate having people watch and not distract the players or coaches from this preparation.  Areas provided at all games allow spectators to get a good view of the action.  It is unacceptable to have anyone who is not a part of the team inside roped off areas.  Fans should not be on the track area behind the player’s bench, inside of the ropes, or inside the locker room.  We expect parents to be positive and to show their support in a positive and sportsman like manner.  Anytime parents feel less than positive, a meeting with the head coach is encouraged.  Remember your child cannot be positive about situations in which you do not show positive support.

All players are issued a locker with a locker combination.  Players are expected to keep the locker room clean and organized.  Any equipment should be stored away in their locker and locked whenever they leave the immediate area.  Any money or valuables that are brought to school should be turned in to a coach so that it may be locked up in the office area.

Players will be taken on away trips if they have earned the right to go as participants.  Other players may be taken if they show a desire to cooperate and willingness to follow expected behavioral guidelines.  Players are expected to keep the buses clean and to follow all of the normal district and state rules regarding bus travel.  All players who ride the bus to games will also return home on the bus unless previous arrangements have been made by the parents through the head coach.

Football is a contact sport that can result in a variety of injuries to the player.  The player must understand that he is risking injury by playing this sport and take the necessary precautions.  Anytime an athlete is feeling pain or feels discomfort of any kind he must make the coaches and trainer aware of his situation so that necessary care can be provided.  All injuries no matter how small will be handled by the training staff once reported.  The trainer should be consulted before a player is taken for advanced injury by a doctor.  Any player who is under medical care by a physician will not be allowed to participate in any practice sessions or games without written clearance by the doctor.  All injured players that cannot take part in practice or in games will still be required to be at practice or games.

We expect all players to act in a manner that is in the best interest of the school district, the school, the team, their community, their family, and their self.  Hustle and hard work are expectations we have of all of our players.  We expect athletes to listen to their coaches and do what is asked of them at all times.  A player who is not acting in this positive manner may be asked to leave the practice or game situation and not return until a conference with the head coach is convened.  A positive attitude will help us become the best football team possible.

Anytime a player has a concern for any aspect of our program he should first make arrangements to meet with the head coach and anyone else deemed appropriate as soon as possible.  Misunderstandings and problems can be cleared up quickly and efficiently this way.  We hope that if a player’s parents or guardians have any concerns they will communicate first with their son to see what the problem is and if their son has talked first to a coach.  If the coach and player meeting has not solved the problem then a meeting with the player’s head coach, player, and parent may then take place to resolve the situation.  No problem is too small to discuss with the coaching staff.

Players in our program will be coached during practice sessions by our coaches if they are willing to put forth the effort and show a positive attitude.  We guarantee practice time to the players.  However, we do not guarantee any playing time to anyone.  At the lower level we attempt to play as many players as possible in their games.  At the varsity level, playing time is awarded to players according to their ability, their work ethic, attitude, and best interest of the team.  Any concerns regarding playing time should be brought to the immediate attention of the head coach by the individual player involved.  All players have a 5 quarter eligibility to play every week.  Some players may be asked to play at a higher level for a certain amount of quarters and at the lower level for a certain amount of quarters adding up to no more than 5 quarters.

Language that is unbecoming of an individual or language that is in bad taste will not be tolerated.  Any person who uses inappropriate language will be disciplined by the coaches.  Behavior that does not change regarding profanity will result in a conference with the parents and could be grounds for dismissal from the team.  We hope to set a positive example in our behaviors and in our demeanor.

Earning a varsity letter award at Sherwood High School can be an exciting accomplishment. This award goes to those players who have positively contributed to the success of the varsity program.  A player earns a varsity letter by being a senior who completes the entire season, an injured player who would have undoubtedly qualified, or by the discretion of the head coach.