It’s football time in Warren County: Storms shake up team’s Monday practice session
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Hitting the field in full gear for the first time this summer, the Pioneers were forced inside by afternoon storm clouds during both of the day’s scheduled practice sessions.
But rather than spend their time in the locker room riding the storm out, coach Gerald Tidwell instead sent his squad into the Charlie Dalton Gym for drills.
Tidwell, who is beginning his second season at the helm of the WCHS program, said a busy conditioning schedule helped keep Monday’s rain delay from throwing the team off track.
“The rain threw us off schedule, but I think the previous two weeks have really given us a head start,” he said. “We’ve worked out in helmets and shorts for the past couple of weeks, so our kids are ahead of schedule from where they were last year.”
Improvisation was the order of the day once lightning bolts began streaking across the sky.
While a simple change from cleats to gym shoes was sufficient for indoor calisthenics and running, the Pioneers entered Monday’s practice eager to experience some full-contact blocking and tackling.
Violently slamming your teammate onto the Dalton Gym’s parquet floor would, naturally, have been frowned upon. But a quick trip to the WCHS wrestling equipment room provided the squad with wrestling mats, allowing the team the chance to swap paint they’d been anticipating all summer.
“We kept coming inside, and we heard two or three comments from the kids about how they were looking forward to hitting that day,” Tidwell said. “So we improvised a little bit, and gave them the opportunity to get some contact, and it worked pretty well.”
The Pioneers were scheduled to hit the practice field — weather permitting — yesterday and today, and the team will have a morning practice session Thursday before leaving for a five-day training camp in La Vergne.