After a summer full of speed, agility and weight training the football team was ready to be able to begin hitting, practicing and preparing for the upcoming season. But all of this came to a halt due to the summer heat continuing after the school year started. Due to the heat blazing down during the day, the team wasn’t able to practice outside after school and was restricted to only practicing in the indoor facilities.
The district mandates no teams can practice outside if the weather hits a certain temperature.
For football, there was only one solution to beat the heat and this was by waking up early and practicing before the sun was up. For the past week, the freshmen, JV and varsity players have been reporting to school at 5:15 a.m. (or earlier) for morning practices.
Coach Clayton Maple was impressed by the way the players responded to the new schedule.
“Everybody’s here,” Maple said. “Everybody’s not only on time, they’re early. So it’s not like we’re looking around. No one’s missing. The players’ responses have been exactly what we’d want.”
The way the players have responded by not only their actions of showing up but also their verbal praises of these morning practices have all been positive. Junior LJ Serafini enjoys having more free time following the completion of the school day.
“Getting our practice done early in the morning is great because it gives us a chance to watch film after school and critique our craft on the field and still get home at a good time for homework and to hang out with family,” Serafini said.
This change hasn’t only been an adjustment for the players, but the coaches as well. The coaches have been the first ones in each morning and last ones off the field.
“All of our head coaches are really, really working together as a team and as a group,” Maple said. “They’re really interested in what’s best for kids. They’re all working together to make sure everybody has a place to practice.”
Not only have the coaches adjusted to this new challenge, but the players are staying focused on their main goal in order to be better and have a successful upcoming season.
The team has a scrimmage tonight against Tomball High School and will open its season against Montgomery High School at Turner Stadium on Aug. 31.
“Morning practices have been challenging but rewarding,” senior defensive end Tristan Viso said. “The early start is tough, but it sets a productive tone for the day. The biggest difficulty has been changing my sleep schedule, but accomplishment afterward makes it worthwhile.”
**Fallon Head contributed to this story.
