The Hockinson Middle School football team has not existed since the 1990s, but this fall, the Hornets will return after a Hockinson School District patron made a generous donation so the school could purchase uniforms and equipment to reestablish the program.
The donation balances the scales for 2025-26, meaning the team may only exist for a single season, a news release by the school district stated. But Hockinson High School’s new head coach, Ben Nelson, is wanting to go all-in on youth football in the east Clark County community. Nelson serves as a counselor at Hockinson Middle School.
“I really wanted to be at a place where it was a one elementary, one middle school and one high school town,” Nelson said after the high school’s spring practice on Wednesday, June 11. “You can kind of build a K-12 program and be able to see those kids through from the younger years all the way up through high school. So I’m excited to get that going.”
The gift from the anonymous donor was timely, the district stated. According to Sid Slom — who serves as the school’s dean, athletic director and now its head football coach — student interest in football has been consistently high on student athletic and activity surveys. Adding the sport also helps to balance school-sponsored sports and Title IX proportionality, the district added.
“The addition of football gives us equal offerings in each season,” Slom stated in the news release.
The addition of football means that during the 2025-26 school year, Hockinson Middle School will offer two boys sports and two girls sports in the fall, the district stated. Sports offerings at the middle school for this coming school year include football, volleyball and boys and girls cross country in the fall with winter offering boys and girls wrestling and boys and girls basketball and a single sport, boys and girls track and field, in the spring.
Slom realizes that this season could be a “one and done” proposition regardless of player enjoyment and success, the release stated.
“The donation was an incredible and unexpected gift. But it is a one-time gift. A sports program can’t be sustained on individual donations,” Slom stated in the release, explaining that football, like the school’s other sports, would need levy funding to continue.
However, he’s grateful for the opportunity, the district stated. Slom, who has coached football for eigh years, misses the relationships and memories that are created through sports. He also looks forward to learning firsthand what is needed to continue the program if levy funding is secured.
Slom was pleasantly surprised by the strong turnout at spring workouts, which started the week of June 2.
“Student interest was obviously strong on paper, but you just never know how many students will actually turn out until the first day of practice,” Slom stated in the release. “I wondered, ‘Will we have enough? Will the kids actually show?’”
The first day of practice saw 26 boys attend, and a total of 30 showed on the second day, the district stated.
Nelson said the middle school football team will be a huge asset for the high school level.
“It was my biggest pitching point when I interviewed in terms of trying to create, like I said, an entire K-12 program where our kids are learning the same terminology,” Nelson said. “They’re learning the Xs and Os. We put together a pretty good program where we even have a CCYF team with our fifth and sixth graders that we’re running very similar to what we run on varsity in terms of base formation, base plays, base defense, and same with the middle school.”
Football also rounds out the school’s participation in its sports league as the Hornets participate in the Southwest Washington Middle School League (SWWMSL) for interscholastic athletics. Of the 14 member schools in the SWWMSL, 13 have football teams. Until this fall, the lone exception has been Hockinson Middle School, the release stated. While the team will be running a combined seventh and eighth grade program this fall, 11 of the 13 SWWMSL schools have seventh and eighth grade teams, the district added.
Slom does face a dilemma, however: How to provide adequate supplies and safety equipment to all athletes for a program that might only last one season?
“We took our shot and went after an opportunity,” Slom stated in the release. “The response was greater than we expected. So how do we reconcile that level of interest given that our resources will only get us through this fall?”
The question is even tougher to answer because the donation does not cover all of the costs of establishing a program even for a smaller number of participants, the district stated.
The release added that some players will be providing their own equipment, but the first-year program needs equipment for first-year players, yard markers, a blocking sled, jerseys and footballs.
The solution involves equal parts player responsibility, fundraising, volunteerism and a “make do” spirit, the district stated.
Middle school football — the Hockinson way
Slom was hired as the Hockinson Middle School dean of students and athletic director in July 2023 after spending many years in the Vancouver School District, the release stated. He says that in one of his first conversations with Superintendent Steve Marshall, he was told that the Hockinson School District has a tradition of getting things done with limited resources.
“He called it ‘The Hockinson Way,’” Slom recalled in the release. “I’ve lost count how many times I’ve heard it since. But I love it. Bess (Colpron), and I want to give as many opportunities as possible to our kids, and we understand that in many cases, it’s up to us to make it happen. We’re resourceful and we’re up for the challenge.”
The challenge of launching a football program on a shoestring budget will involve a player fee of $175, volunteer assistant coaches, parents as game workers, drop-only transportation, grants and fundraisers, the district stated. Slom shared that he has already submitted two grant applications and is looking for more. He’s also trying to line up parents to help run a car wash fundraiser as well as fill slots working concessions at The Cascades Amphitheater that provides fundraiser opportunities.
Colpron and Slom aren’t done looking for opportunities for their students.
“I’m so lucky to have Sid as my partner at HMS. We share the same philosophy about what it takes to build a positive school culture and, for many of our kids, after-school programs like sports, clubs and ASB (leadership) are huge building blocks for personal growth and connecting with others,” Colpron stated in the release.
“We’re not done yet!” Slom added in the release.
He’s exploring the addition of girls golf, pursuing a new volunteer adviser for the Robotics Club and looking to establish other new clubs.
“I love seeing our athletes represent HMS and our students find their place in our school, especially when it’s something that they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise,” Slom said. “I also like that if we can make this work, it’s something that will support HHS and Ben (Nelson).”
Donations can be made to the Hockinson Middle School football program or any of the school’s after-school programs by emailing Slom at sid.slom@hocksd.org.