Oregon is known for smashmouth football.

It’s been a huge part of the Hawks’ success in coach John Bothe’s career. The Hawks tackle and hit so well, you’d think they practice it all the time.

That’s not necessarily the case.

“The big thing with tackling at practice, and I think most would agree, is you just make sure people aren’t going to the ground,” Bothe said.

Many do agree with Bothe. Full-out tackling at practice for some is a thing of the past. Most high school football teams save their hits for Friday nights to avoid injuries during the week.

“If you get your star running back dinged up at practice, and he can’t go 100 percent on Friday, then what have you accomplished?” Boylan coach Dan Appino said.

Injury is the biggest argument against tackling at practice. Teams don’t want to beat up their own players, and that’s especially the case for smaller teams.

“When you only have 23 or 24 players, and a couple guys injured as it is, you can’t risk anyone else getting hurt,” Jefferson coach Franklin Craig said. “That’s why we don’t tackle down to the ground in our scrimmages.”

It benefits some players, who say the lack of tackling during the week gets them motivated on Fridays.

“I think it makes us more eager for game night,” Stillman Valley halfback and defensive back Keegan Myrvold said.

“With 23 players, it’s hard, because you always have to be careful. We go hard every day, but we just make sure not to knock our own players to the ground.”

But the same coaches who don’t tackle hard in practice admit that it can backfire.

“It’s one reason why our tackling suffers,” Craig said. “They don’t get to go full-on until Friday. Then when you go into the game, you’re not ready for it.”

That’s why at some schools like Winnebago, the players tackle at practice. And they tackle hard.

“I know for a lot of players, that’s their favorite part of the game,” said Winnebago lineman Pete Turcato. “It’s just fun.”

Winnebago coach Mark Helm said his program isn’t to the point where they can afford not to tackle at practice.

“I just feel they have to be prepared for what they’re going to see in the ballgame,” said Helm, who also spent four seasons with Stockton’s playoff teams before taking over the Indians. “Your body has to get used to taking those shots and blows.

“I’m not a person who’s blind to the other side of it. With injuries, I just think you’re never going to prevent them all. All you can do is prepare in the offseason so that your body can weather those blows.”

Being ready for tackling is just another reason why offseason training is so important in football.

“Tackling has to do so much with the athleticism and offseason training and the strength and conditioning the players do,” Appino said. “Then during the season, you need to keep your kids fresh.”

Like Oregon and Boylan, most teams will still go through drills to work on their footwork and positioning for tackling. They’ll also use some sort of equipment or tackling dummy when they want to get fierce.

These types of things weren’t needed 20 years ago.

“It’s a different mentality today,” Appino said. “Positions like the quarterback weren’t such premier positions. If somebody got hurt, you just threw somebody else in. It was smashmouth football in those days.”

Craig said he remembers when it was just as competitive at practice as it was for games.

“Years ago, you’d see some of your best tackling and best hitting at practice,” Craig said. “We weren’t shy.”

So if they don’t tackle hard in practice, how do teams like Oregon do it so well on Fridays?

“You can get a lot of benefit from tackling drills when you don’t take people to the ground,” Bothe said. “You have to monitor it, and you just have to be smart.”

Staff reporter Emily Tropp can be reached at 815-987-1385 or etropp@rrstar.com.