WALLOWA Wallowa High Schools football team, which went winless in eight games last year, will enter the 2014 season with new leadership and the absence of two perennially tough league opponents.

Within the past two weeks, WHS Superintendent Bret Uptmor offered contracts to Matt Brockamp, as head coach, and Jeremy McCullough as his assistant. Brockamp has coached in the local youth football program for several years and McCullough has coached the sport at the junior high school level in Wallowa for four years.

McCullough, who says the 2013 team was really young, is of the opinion that the 2014 team will benefit from the change of Oregon School Athletic Association classifications at Imbler and Cove. Formerly in Oregons smallest school classification (1A) playing 8-man football with Wallowa, increased attendance at those two Union County schools has bumped them to 2A status where they will play 11-man football. Last fall, Imbler beat Wallowa 68-8 and Cove bested the Cougars 66-12.

Practice for all high schools in Oregon will begin Aug. 18. The Cougars are scheduled to launch their 2014 season Sept. 5 at Ione. The first of three home games in an seven-game season (excluding playoffs) will be against Pine Eagle on Oct. 3.