As the bell rings for eighth period, thoughts begin to turn to the long practice stretching ahead. The dreadful pain and agony of yesterday’s conditioning and brutal tackling set in.

Stepping out of the locker room to begin another afternoon of practice, the sweat begins to drip off the faces of the football team as they trod out onto the 100+ degree field.

Returning players, like senior Nate King, who has been playing football for four years, help provide leadership on the playing field. King plays at offensive fullback and defensive linebacker.

“My number one goal this year is to win the County City All Star game,” King said. “I’d also like to break 100 yards rushing in the games to come.”

The campus varsity football team begins their season with just 18 players. Though not lacking for experience, the main concern for the season is keeping the team healthy, as fewer players lead to fewer substitutes

“The varsity is a really small team this year,” King said. “But have plenty of talent to make up for our small numbers. We will answer any worries as to how we will perform during our games.”

The team currently holds a non-league record of 0-2, after losing 49-0 to Central Valley Christian on Sept. 3 and 19-3 to Immanuel on Sept. 10.

“We have changed our expectations and focus,” coach Jon Hall said, “Instead of expecting to win and feeling we deserve to be front runners, we are starting from ground zero and trying to build success from the ground up.”

While campus has only 285 students, the football team still competes against schools up to three times their size. While some players on competitor’s teams may complain about playing time, the campus team has the opposite problem?not enough rest in between series. However they have spent much of the season thus far working on conditioning.

“By staying positive and looking at these last two games as character builders, our team will become better prepared for the long run,” coach Hall said. “We should be a well-conditioned team and that will help us in the fourth quarter.”

The varsity and JV football teams next host Strathmore on Sept. 17 at Clark Intermediate in Clovis. JV begins at 5:30 P.M., varsity at 7:30. For more information, or maps to the stadium, contact the high school office at 299-1695, ext. 5.