And now we wait.
Fifteen Fridays from now, high school football will begin. In other words, it’s the length of an entire football season between now and the opening game.
Only one difference. The upcoming 15 weeks will seem like 15 months. The following 15 weeks after that will seem like 15 days.
Might as well get comfortable; it’s going to be awhile.
Spring football is done, which ended with a scrimmage against another school or some kind of souped-up intrasquad game. Draw any conclusion you’d like from those performances, which can lead to anything from (1) already making hotel reservations in New Orleans in December to (2) wondering how in the world your team can possibly win a game.
Staring down the barrel of morning workouts during the summer can be, to say the least, daunting for a high school player. Weight room, conditioning drills, maybe a little video study … it never seems to end. With no real game in sight.
That’s a lot of advance work for 10 nights in the fall (but hopefully more).
This may be the all-time football coaches cliché, but it is true: You have to want it.
There really is no other reasonable, rational explanation as to why it’s worth going through all that a high school football player goes through. Especially when there are friends who are sleeping in, headed to the lake or simply enjoying the summer like everybody else.
As for the coaches, it’s not as if they are exactly thrilled about the whole proceedings either. Many, especially those who are classroom teachers, would like a little bit of a break from the grind of the school year. Oh sure, they’ll squeeze in a quick weekend family trip or a round or two of golf, but somebody has to be there in the early mornings to open the weight room door.
Say what you want about 7-on-7 – the wiffle ball of high school football – at least it brings a degree of competition to the summer. It’s something to look forward to rather than running the cone drill on a dew-filled practice field.
June is filled with 7-on-7 tournaments, which can be difficult for those who also play another sport to schedule around, not to mention those who are attending some kind of a college camp (when the real recruiting goes on). But at least it’s something.
It really just comes down to Fridays. Real Fridays.
Fridays in the summer are just like any other day. But somewhere out there, there are Fridays with stadium lights and cheerleaders and people with different color jerseys on. All you can do is keep focused on those Fridays.
May will turn to June; June will turn to July; and July will turn to August. By that time, school will start and the abnormality of the summer will begin to feel normal again. Shoulder pads will be given out. Some poor sophomore will get stuck with jersey number 37.
All of a sudden, a scrimmage will be held. Then a jamboree. And then an actual, honest-to-gosh, real high school football game.
But for now, it’s just best to show up and not look at a calendar.
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com