As I waited in the Sutherlin High School office for my interviewee to show up, I noticed it took quite a while for the athletic director to find him. When he finally arrived I asked Dane Gilman, the junior quarterback of the 485-enrollment school, what took him.

"It's spirit week this week," he said. "We've been having dress up days and I was dressed up as a gangster. They told me to go change into something more approriate but I didn't know why."

He found out soon enough. I was there to interview him for KPIC Television's Student Athlete of the Week segment. As a junior, he's led the Bulldogs to what will most likely be a second-place finish in the Far West League. This comes after a last place finish a year ago. Friday, the team will play against winless Douglas of Winston, a team that is struggling much like the Bulldogs of 2003 and 2004.

While a 4-4 overall record doesn't seem like something to throw a party about, it is certainly a cause for celebration in Sutherlin. According to the coaching staff, the Bulldogs haven't ever won a state playoff game, dating back to 1941. A win Friday night would put the Bulldogs at a game over .500 and in second place, barring a loss by North Bend to surging Brookings-Harbor. The Bulldogs would finish the league schedule with a 4-1 mark.

This is Gilman's first year as the Bulldog's starting quarterback. Last season, he quarterbacked one game when then starting QB Ryan Osborne was injured.

Jason Hink: How many years have you been involved with football?

Dane Gilman: I've been playing football since the fifth grade. I've played two years of varsity football.

Jason Hink: After struggling through so many losing seasons at Sutherlin, you guys are now in a position to play in the state playoffs and you will probably host a first-round game. Tell me about how the season has gone and how you feel about this excitement.

Dane Gilman: The season is going great. We started off slow by losing those preseason games and that got our hopes down a little bit. But we came back strong in league and played good football. Everyone on the team is getting along really well. Our linemen have stepped it up huge this year. We have great receivers and great running backs. I have time to pass and I get great blocking on the runs. We've been able to pull through on those close games to get us to victory and I'm looking forward to the playoffs.

Jason Hink: Has there been an overall change in attitude with your teammates? You guys started the season struggling with a 1-3 record, just like all the rest of the Far West teams, but then you guys started winning. Once league rolled around you found yourselves 3-0 before last week's close loss at perennial league champ North Bend. Is there a change now where you guys feel like you can play with a lot of teams?

Dane Gilman: Definitely. Last year, we knew we weren't very good and we were just trying to stay in games. This year, we know we're a better team. We go out to win. Everyone plays hard the whole time so we can get the victories.

Jason Hink: What other sports do you play?

Dane Gilman: I play baseball and basketball and I also cheerlead. I'm a stunt guy in cheerleading. I do it during basketball season during competitions, not during the games. I do it for cheerleading competitions.

Jason Hink: How do you like the cheerleading?

Dane Gilman: It's fun, actually. It's a lot harder than people think. People call us wusses and stuff, but it's fairly hard.

Jason Hink: How can someone call somebody a wuss who does stunts for cheerleading? You have to be in pretty good shape to do that stuff, right?

Dane Gilman: Definitely.

Jason Hink: You've gone through the Sutherlin school system your entire life. Tell me about that experience.

Dane Gilman: I've lived in Sutherlin my whole life. Growing up here, knowing everyone, knowing the coaches ... it's been good.

Jason Hink: You have new co-coaches this season that replaced last year's head coach. Were you guys happy with the change?

Dane Gilman: I was, personally, because the coaches are more laid back this year and let us have more fun which made us want to work harder. Both coaches are just great coaches. They let me pass the ball a little more this year so I have to give them thanks for that. Practices are going really well. The coaches are doing a great job.

Jason Hink: You're a junior this year so it's still a bit early, but what are your plans for after high school?

Dane Gilman: After high school, I'm hoping to go to a four-year university. I love sports, so I want a career that's in sports, like as a sports agent or something like that. I would like to stay involved in sports. That's what I do and that's what I love. The University of Oregon has a sports program up there so we'll see.

Jason Hink: As far as the football season goes, what is the ultimate goal now?

Dane Gilman: We've changed our goals a lot this season. First, we wanted a winning record, after last year. We knew we were a better team than that so then we wanted to win the league championship. Unfortunately, we didn't get that. So, now we have a home state playoff game. Our coaches have looked it up and we have never won a state playoff game, so our next goal is to win that state playoff game. Our next goal after that would be to keep going and keep winning.