Pioneer football team hits the weights

By DALE STUBBLEFIELD / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

The Pioneer football team is working hard in the off season with great success. Lne coach Matt Turner spots freshman Dale Murphy as he works out on the incline bench press. (Dale Stubblefield photo)

The Warren County High School football team may have struggled through a disappointing season, but that hasn’t stopped the Pioneers’ off-season efforts.

The returning players are more determined than ever to make next year’s team a successful one.

The players have been busy during the winter lifting weights and going through a conditioning program in order to put a competitive product on the field next year.

“We have the kids doing a strength program which the University of Nebraska uses,” said assistant coach John Dryden. “We took several weeks after the season trying to figure out what kind of off-season program would benefit this football team the most. I had several conversations with other coaches in other states, and found this Nebraska program would give us the strength and develop the quickness this team needed.

“Basically were on a split routine which means instead of having an upper body lower body split were going explosion-strength split. One day the linemen are working on the strength phase and the skill positions are working on their explosion phase and the next day they swap it up,”

The team is working hard to improve its speed, footwork and cardiovascular conditioning. Working with coach Gerald Tidwell, each player is building a solid foundation of endurance by running against the wall, doing crunches and working on their vertical leap.

“This is a good program coach Dryden has implemented and will work and challenge every member of this team,” Tidwell said. “We have to get stronger and faster, and these kids are working harder in the off-season than any group I have ever had.

“Coach Dryden is working with the team in the weight room and I’m working with the kids to help improve our cardiovascular endurance. These kids have already made big strides just in the past few weeks their getting stronger and our foot speed has greatly improved. These kids are hungry to get better and are taking the necessary steps to improve this football team.”