It’s ‘crunch’ time for Pioneers
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Run a mile before breakfast.
Train all day, hitting —?and being hit —?then hit the bed before lights out at 10:30 p.m.
Sound like basic training? It is, but the army’s not involved. Instead, it’s the Pioneer football team’s training schedule for this week’s full-gear camp, which began Monday morning and wraps up this afternoon.
Beginning Sunday night, the 70 players from the varsity and freshman squads, along with their coaches, have eaten, slept and worked on the WCHS campus. And the idea to host their own camp, rather than traveling to another site, has proven beneficial.
“It’s great that we’re not on a strict schedule,” explained head coach Chris Madewell. “We can change it around throughout the day, if we feel like there’s something we need to work on.”
That flexibility came into play on Tuesday, when after a less-than-stellar defensive practice in the morning, Madewell and his staff said they were likely to repeat some of those drills later in the evening.
Through two days of camp, the second-year Pioneer head coach said his most important goal is to achieve a consistent level of intensity.
“(Monday) was a good day,” he said. “We came out with a lot of intensity, with people flying all over the place, and had two pretty good practices.
“But after all that hitting, then spending a night in an unfamiliar bed and getting up early for the second day of camp, I felt like they were kind of worn out a little bit. We know they’re tired, and they know they’re tired. But that’s the kind of adversity we’ve got to be able to overcome.”
As camp comes to an end, and the Pioneers begin their normal schedule of afternoon practice sessions, Madewell said the heavy physical activity will diminish somewhat.
“The amount of straight one-on-one hitting will decrease some, as we focus on our form and execution,” he said. “But we still want to see intensity the whole time we’re on the field.”
Several players were nursing injuries during Tuesday’s second day of camp — a fact that Madewell said was a bit disconcerting, especially considering many of the injured players came from the offensive and defensive lines.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s something else we have to deal with,” he said. “When you first come out in full pads, you get a lot of little bumps and bruises. Some are more serious than others, but it’s expected.
“We’re putting them through a lot out here, it’s a lot for their bodies to handle, but hopefully nobody will have to be out of action for too long.”
The Pioneers will wrap up camp today at approximately 4 p.m., and will travel to Murfreesboro Thursday for an all-day practice session with the Siegel Stars, which will culminate in a three-team scrimmage with the Stars and Davidson Academy.
The 2005 football season begins Aug. 19, with a home matchup against Bradley Central.