Jerel Beaty
Staff Writer
Back in the day, two-a-day football practices were just that—twice a day practices with a lunch break in the middle that lasted a minimum of two weeks if not longer. Players and coaches alike got the full scope of seeing the toughness, both physically and mentally, of what 10-14 days under the Texas sun could bring upon everyone battling the heat in preparation for a football season to begin.
With Devine ISD setting their school calendar back in early Spring, Head Coach Paul Gomez and his staff knew then the following two-a-day schedule would be altered with practices kicking off on the first Monday of August (Aug5) and teacher in-service following two days later on Wednesday, August 7 for some, and Thursday, August 8 for others.
Gomez stated it was “definitely a different week of two-a-days this year as we had two-a-days Monday thru Wednesday before starting teacher in service on Thursday”
Coaches are creatures of habit so altering the schedule was more-than-likely met with a few grumbles last spring, but Gomez and his staff adapted and rolled with the punches without a glitch.
“The last three days of the first week of practices were a little different in structure but we made the best of it.”
As far as the players, shortened two-a-days and having to hit the Dean Bates Practice Field in late afternoon instead of early morning cut in to their time of being able to get acclimated to wearing football gear once again and conditioning their bodies to get ready for that 4 o’clock heat.
“I am immensely proud of all of these athletes. They been really busting their tails out there. Thursday, we practiced around 4pm which is around the hottest part of the day and our boys went through practices like troopers. We gave them plenty of water breaks, but nobody had to step out of practice for heat-related issues.”
Much of the “trooper”-like behavior came from the summer strength and conditioning program Gomez and his assistants put the players through during the course of the summer. Most players were well-adapted prior to August 5.
“Showing up in shape and ready to go just shows how hard these young men worked this summer to get in shape. It has been an extremely rewarding camp so far. There has definitely been a positive vibe here and these guys really have each other’s back.”
With a new season on the brink, and everyone beginning anew as roles on the team start to take shape, there is no doubt Gomez has a clear image in his mind about the path to an eventual District Championship and playoff success.
“We have to keep climbing that ladder to get to where we want to be. It is going to take a lot of challenging work, but we believe this bunch will definitely put the work in. Now that week two has begun, we can start preparing for other teams. That is the fun part!”