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Sunny with a chance of Bears football
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · September 25, 2014


West Branch’s high school football team will appear on the Weather Channel. Yes, you read that right — The Weather Channel.


The national cable news network known for focusing on predicting the weather and weather-related features started in August a 12-week series called “Friday Night Lightning,” and of the thousands of high school football teams in the United States, West Branch made the cut.

The roughly 3 1/2-minute segment will run Oct. 10. The time is still undetermined.

“Once fall hits, every Friday in towns across America the focus turns to one place — the high school football field,” read a Weather Channel press release. “Stores close, theatres go dark and fans flock to the field to support their team and their town. It’s not about Xs and Os — it’s about community, family and tradition — and it all depends on the weather.”

Head Football Coach Butch Pedersen said he has no problem with a weather-themed cable TV station preparing a segment about the Bears football team.

“I don’t care if the Mickey Mouse Club wants to do a segment on us as long as these kids get the exposure,” he said.

He noted the odds of making a list of 12 teams are very small.

“They singled out 12 teams in all of the U.S.,” Pedersen said. “That’s quite an honor.”

Some of the teams making the list are from towns devastated by Mother Nature. In 2011, an EF5 tornado struck Joplin, Mo.; in November 2013, an EF4 tornado struck Washington, Ill.; in 2012, an EF2 tornado cut through Odessa, Texas, home of Permian High School; and so on.

But Weather Channel senior producer of special projects Mike Jenkins said they also wanted a variety of teams to highlight.

“We’ve done some larger high schools like Massillon Washington High School (in Ohio) and Celina High School (in Texas),” he said. “But we also wanted to do some towns that live and breathe Friday Night Lights — small towns where there’s a lot of pride and tradition. After doing some reading and seeing the Little Rose Bowl, how could we not come here?”

Bears’ Sports Information Director Jason Miller escorted the Weather Channel crew around town and helped them to find information and interviewees, like longtime resident Dick Hinkhouse and former player and local restaurant owner Stephen Grace.

The Weather Channel crew recorded footage of the team’s practices and interviewed co-captains Mason Hays and Nick Westcott, as well as Pedersen.

Jenkins said the segment plans to tie in the community’s relationship with the football team and talk about how Herbert Hoover made a campaign stop at the field.

“Every town is different,” he said. “It’s pretty apparent here in West Branch that it’s not just about football and not just about state championships. … We want the rest of America to see what you have in West Branch.”

Jenkins’ questions ranged from describing the atmosphere of games to why football is so important in West Branch. Pedersen said he was asked about the team’s tradition and the history of the Little Rose Bowl, but nothing about the weather.

“They were very non-intrusive,” the coach said about the crew recording practices. “We were treated professionally by both gentlemen.”

West Branch’s football team and the Oliphant Street field, also known as the Little Rose Bowl, have been featured recently by other venues. The field was recognized by CBSSports.com’s MaxPreps in 2012 as one of “10 More High School Football Stadiums to See Before You Die” and in 2010 by William Penn University and its One Day Getaway show. As a side note, Permian High School in Odessa, Texas, was featured on the first “10 High School Football Stadiums to See Before You Die” list.