While most incoming freshmen were sleeping and relaxing over the summer, others were waking early in order to be at football practice by 7:30 a.m.

In addition to the early wakeup call, many of the freshmen where challenged by the variety of new workouts, including strenuous whole-body training. Due to the change of workouts from junior high to high school, some students struggled with the change of pace.

Grant Flammang found the workouts arduous, but still enjoyable, he said.

“The workouts were fun but very hard,” Flammang said. “We had to bear crawl for 20 yards with a tire on our backs, and it was extremely challenging. You build a lot of character, and find out how far you can go.”

While Flammang struggled with the workouts, others had difficulty waking up on time. Bobby Christopher says he had an especially difficult time getting up.

“Practice sucked because I had to get up early,” Christopher said. “I was always tired, and it was hard to stay dedicated; but because of it, I learned the basics of football.”

According to head JV coach Scott Yantis, ’09 alumnus, the team had many struggles throughout the summer, especially with dedication.

?The team sturggled with consistency,? Yantis said. ?They had trouble with everyone showing up for every practice. However, I think they will have an amazing year, and I expect great things.?

For many of the freshmen, playing against the varsity team was a nerve-wracking experience. Quarterback Tristian Hernandez said this was the most difficult challenge for him to overcome.

“My biggest fear was hitting the big kids,” Hernandez said. “I was afraid because my height was a disadvantage to me. However, football has taught me that you start something to finish it. I grew as an athlete by learning the basics of high school football, and also learned how to apply God to my disciplining.”

Because practices were held in the morning to protect players from the summer heat, this posed a problem for Hernandez due to his parents’ work schedule.

“Because my parents worked during the day, I had to find my own way home,” Hernandez said. “So after practice I would ride a bus for 30 minutes to get back to my house.”

Despite these obstacles, Hernandez is the only 9th grader to have been present at every practice. Very few members accomplished this, even on the varsity team.

The team is currently 2-3, and their next game will be Oct. 15.

For more information on the football team, read the Football sport shorts or the Sept. 27 article, Concussion concerns impact contact sports.

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