Carlmont football held practice on May 25 after school in the sunny weather.
The team prepares for the upcoming season early to become familiar with the new team and get in shape. Both the varsity and JV teams productively run through their practice to help them advance, allowing for an effective training and learning session.
Sophomore varsity linebacker Jayden Kuhn enjoys the preseason practices because of their efficiency.
“Practices are very uptempo. We keep everything organized and we focus but we also have fun at the same time,” said Kuhn.
Football may be played as a seasonal sport, but players at Carlmont train year-round, and training for the upcoming season started only a few weeks after this year’s season ended. During the offseason, players get back in shape and grow stronger in the weight room. Most of their practices during the winter consist of weightlifting and conditioning.
Varsity free safety Simon Tara, a sophomore, explains that offseason conditioning is important for upcoming seasons.
“I’m glad we have weightlifting during the offseason because it keeps us in shape and makes us perform better in our practices and our upcoming games,” says Tara.
During the spring, the varsity and JV practice what they call “spring ball,” which consists of running drills on the Carlmont field after school and practicing how to handle the ball, as well as practicing offensive and defensive aspects.
“In the beginning, we warm up, then we get into our offensive individual teams such as wide receivers, running backs, and linemen. In those individual teams and we learn and practice new drills. We then transition to defense and do the same thing,” said Tara.
Training doesn’t stop there. Players go on to hold practices during the summer leading up to preseason games. Scots varsity running back Demarii Blanks, a junior, states that they have practices every day during the summer.
“Summer practices are very hot, there is a lot of conditioning and just getting ourselves organized and getting the basics down for the new players,” says Kuhn.
Many players are excited to enter the new year and feel confident in their abilities. Incoming seniors are prepared and thrilled to take on leadership roles on the team. The Scots even have high goals of championships.
“I think it is going to be a pretty good year and we should be able to win league easily,” says Blanks.
