Clan-Members » -- a complex drill with a maze of cones and backw

Two of the most potent offenses in the Pac-12 will clash when California plays at No. 23 Washington State on Saturday night, although the teams are moving in different directions.Washington State (7-2, 6-0 Pac-12, No. 23 CFP) is seeking its eighth consecutive win, best for the team since 1930, as it continues its surprising quest for a Pac-12 championship.Cal (4-5, 2-4), which has lost three of its past four games, is struggling to keep its bowl hopes alive.The Golden Bears are averaging 517 yards per game this season, while Washington State averages 502 yards. But the Cougars get into the end zone a lot more, averaging 43 points per game with their Air Raid offense.Hes always moved the ball and hes always scored points, Cal coach Sonny Dykes said, referring to Washington State counterpart Mike Leach. What theyre doing is the same as hes always done. They just do it very well.Dykes worked as an assistant under Leach at Texas Tech for seven years and runs a similar offense, though Cals is known as the Bear Raid.Dykes noted that Washington State is getting attention for running the ball more this year.They run the ball more because theyve had the lead, Dykes said. If you look at when theyre running the ball, theyre running it at the end of ballgames when theyre beating people.Washington State lost its first two games of the season, and hasnt lost since. Last weekend, the Cougars pounded Arizona 69-7, scoring the most points against a Pac-12 opponent in their history.The ball bounced our direction, no questions, Leach said.As is his recent custom, Leach declined to discuss this weeks opponent in any detail.But offensive lineman Cole Madison noted that California has won 10 of the past 11 games between the teams.Its always been a shootout with them, Madison said. Hopefully, it goes in our favor.The Cougars control their own destiny and can clinch the Pac-12 North by winning their final three regular-season games -- against Cal, No. 16 Colorado and No. 4 Washington.Thats better than having no destiny, said receiver Gabe Marks, a veteran of some lean years. Its nice to play games that matter at this point in the year.Quarterback Luke Falk completed 32 of 35 passes against Arizona, with his 91.4 percent completion rate a Pac-12 record for more than 30 completions. He is second in the nation with 3,237 passing yards this season.Before we start, I tell Luke to go out there and run the show, Marks said. Well follow him.Cal has not lost in Pullman since 2002.Other things to watch when Washington State hosts Cal:MARKS RECEPTIONS: Marks has 288 career receptions and needs seven more to break the Pac-12 record of 294 held by Colorados Nelson Spruce. It would be good to have my name at the top of that record, said Marks, who came back for his senior year rather than try to jump to the NFL after last season.WINNING STREAK: Washington State is seeking its eighth consecutive win. The last WSU team to do that was the 1930 squad, which won its first nine games and then lost to Alabama in the Rose Bowl. The Cougars also seek the first 7-0 conference start in their history.POROUS DEFENSE: The teams may be similar on offense, but Cal is giving up 44 points per game, worst in the Pac-12. Washington State allows just 24 points per game.WEBB OF TALENT: Cal QB Davis Webb has thrown for 3,176 yards this season, third in the nation. Hes thrown for 30 touchdowns and run for six. Webb is also a fan of Leach. Coach Leach is a coach Ive always looked up to ever since my childhood days at Texas watching Texas Tech, Webb said. Its a great opportunity to play those guys.FROSH RECEIVERS: Demetris Robertson and Melquise Stovall are the most productive freshmen receivers in Cal history. Stovall has caught 40 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns. Robertson has caught 38 passes for 461 yards and six touchdowns. Cheap MLB Jerseys . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Cheap Red Schoendienst Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. http://www.cheapstlouiscardinalsjerseys.com/ . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Cheap Enos Slaughter Jersey . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Cheap Chris Carpenter Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. As a parent, you wonder if your childs love of sports is real, enduring and deep. Especially as they grow, and the leagues and teams and coaches become more and more intense.Is playing sports just something we do? A routine?Is it his choice? Or am I pushing him, trying to impose my own experiences as an athlete?My 8-year-old son, Will, plays hockey, a sport that requires maturity, discipline and sacrifice from the beginning. Nothing is easy, from simply getting dressed to play under a mountain of pads to learning to stay on your feet on skates. There are the 7 a.m. ice times, the cold rinks, the long drives. You really have to want to be there.I signed up for Heartland Hockey Camp to see if my sons love for hockey was his own.Id read about Heartland in USA Hockey magazine. The camp in Deerwood, Minnesota, is 80 acres of hockey heaven in a rustic setting. The ice rink features a giant video screen and classrooms, and there are lots of off-ice activities -- like a miniature golf course, bonfire pit and water slides -- among the weight room, dorms and dining hall. Its all run by Steve Jensen, a 1976 U.S. Olympian and former NHL player who works to make the camp accessible for anyone who loves the game and wants to get better. He sets a positive tone with an emphasis on fun while working to instill proper training, technique and discipline.But the most interesting element of that camp is that it is also built for parents. Parents are welcome to stay on site and can watch the kids train and play as much as they want. Or, they can read a book or go for a run. Parents can bunk with their athletes and share meals together.For me, going to camp was one part experiment, two parts opportunity to spend time with one of my favorite people on Earth. It was a sports parenting vacation in which Id get a better understanding of Wills genuine feelings about the game.I spent a lot of my time rinkside watching the four-plus hours of ice time each day. But it was also beautiful to linger at meals, spend time in the room or waalk the grounds knowing my son was with his group of mites.dddddddddddd It was a joy to see him make new buddies from around the country, to choose to go to extra skating sessions and to head to the lake in his free time.Will definitely grew up a little over the course of the week. He began to pay attention to the clock and get to sessions on time. He noticed what he was eating and considered the energy it would provide.On the second night, I asked him if he liked the camp, and he said, Yes, of course. I said on a scale of 1 to 10, what is it? He said, A 10! That rating didnt budge throughout the week. (Im sure the minigolf didnt hurt.) He got out of bed eagerly each day, he worked hard on his drills, he studied the game. All on his own.Midway through the week, I watched Will rise to the occasion right in front of Coach Jensen and conquer Heartlands Hardest Corner -- a complex drill with a maze of cones and backward crisscrosses that requires concentration and dexterity. Will beamed as he finished. He pumped his fist. I could see he was proud of his accomplishment.Being at hockey camp with my son let me see those moments closer than I would have at a typical practice. It brought me a sense of balance amid the seemingly breakneck race to excellence in youth sports. More importantly, Will came away happy. He made friends. He worked hard. He learned more about what it means to be an athlete. He connected with the sport in a new way.It was an affirmation. For both of us.Since we dove into the world of youth hockey, the tangled web of mites, peewees, squirts, bantams, 07s, 08s, 09s (and Double-A, Triple-A, on and on ... ) hasnt always made sense. Its a new language weve had to learn together. At times, its felt too intense, too soon.But now at least I know Will is playing for the right reason: He loves it.Laura Gentile is senior vice president, espnW and Womens Initiatives at ESPN. ' ' '