Slinger students run the music and video for semi-pro football team the Junkyard Dogs.
SLINGER - The press box crew for the Junkyard Dogs has a pair of fresh faces this year as Slinger High School junior Tyler Matasek and Ryan Beardsley help man the action behind the scenes.
Matasek is the music director for the JYD and the head student tech at Slinger High School.
“I play music during the timeouts, handle the National Anthem, and run music during the commercial reads at the game,” said Matasek.
The normal sound selection for JYD games is basically rock and roll and 80s music; oldies to the 16-year-old.
A solid student, Matasek carries a 3.4 Grade Point Average and said he will be pursuing a career in medicine. “I’m just doing this for fun,” he said.
On the other end of the press box is Beardsley. Perched behind a small Sony Cinema res video camera, he has the best seat in the house.
“I want to pursue filming sports when I graduate,” he said.
A sophomore at Slinger, Beardsley carries a 2.8 GPA.
Both students were recruited by Steve Krebs who handles the announcing for the JYD’s and coordinates activities in the press box.
“I get the pregame warm-up music going and some of the music disks in so when Tyler comes it is ready to go,” he said.
“I also meet with the visiting and home team head coaches during the warm-ups to get starter names and get any game day team changes and any other info necessary for us to announce and I spot each play so Ron Naab can announce who made the play.
“Tyler helps spot as well,” said Krebs.
Mark Edmond is a cornerback with the Junkyard Dogs. He said the students should feel privileged to be part of the team.
"This is a great opportunity for them to work in a professional setting and get a taste of a real-life job," he said.
"Education is so important and doing this helps them develop a solid work ethic at a very young age," said Edmond.
"From what I saw yesterday both boys are very capable and knowledgeable and are great additions to our announcing staff," said Krebs.
