Jay Walsh

Nobody warned Dillon Jeffs how dangerous coaching 4-6-year-old children could be. Hobbled, the first year coach was in a cast as his team, the Firefighters, played their opening game of the 2026 season against the Bananas.

Jeffs wrecked his ankle during practice trying to keep up with his gang of youngsters.

“We were playing freeze tag at the end of the practice, and I was chasing one of the kids. Then I heard another one call my name, so I cut hard to the left,” Jeffs said before the game. “My ankle rolled under me and snapped the lower fibula.”

He’s currently counting his blessings that he won’t need surgery, but the pain was substantive.

“I won’t say I was lucky, because it hurt really bad and wish it wouldn’t have happened at all,” he said.

Initially his ankle swelled up so Jeffs thought it might just be a sprain.

“I kind of stood up, and I was like shaking. And then the kids all wanted to keep playing freeze tag,” he said. “I had to just kind of calm everyone down and be like, no, I think we’re done. Practice is over.”

He also had to cancel the next practice as well, leaning on his assistant coach to get them to the first game.

But like most coaches, Jeffs has a child playing in the league and another so eager to play, he
refused to leave the field despite not being old enough for the 4-7 age group. Three-year-old Henry is more of a mascot than anything.

“I wouldn’t call him a helper,” Jeffs quipped while Henry planted himself behind second base in the fresh, spring grass.

First year President of the Powell Little League Jay Walsh was also feeling the pressure of opening day.

“I’m nerve-wracked,” he said as the 10 a.m. games started.

There were some teams needing to have players rearranged at the last moment, but with children laughing in joy around him, it was hard for him not to sport a smile. Let’s call it first day jitters. However, Walsh is responsible for seven T-ball teams, seven coach pitch teams, four minor league and three major league teams; all of which will be almost a full-time job at least until June 10 when the postseason tournaments start.

Powell’s Major League uses professional team names. This year they are the Dodgers, Orioles and Padres. However, the rest of the teams vote on their names, including teams like the Space Cowboys, River Bandits, Party Animals and Spuds. This year a team decided to honor first responders by choosing to be called the Firefighters.

After the playoffs, all-stars will be chosen to play in the state tournament. The district tournament will be held July 8-12 in Pinedale and then the state championships are scheduled for July 23-26 in Torrington. Only then will the board of directors and coaches will get a short break before school starts.

There’s no quitting for Walsh. He coached for five years prior to taking on the challenges of leading a large herd of children who are often competing in their first sporting events. He also has a son, Luke, and daughter, Lily, in the league. If they both play through high school, he only has about a decade left before he gets a break.

There are rewards to coaching, despite the obvious inherent dangers. Iron Birds coach Trevor Timmons said he loves coaching because you get to watch kids learning, improving and gaining confidence through their experiences in team sports.

“I love this game. I played this game since I was little,” Timmons said. “And I love coaching. I like to see these kids progress.”