Football players spend hours every day on the field running through plays and perfecting their routes. However, that is not the only time the team spends getting ready for a Friday night game. Junior varsity and varsity players spend their first period of school every day in the weight room building up their muscle, speed, and agility.  

The class is typically split into three groups depending on their position: small skill, big skill, and linemen. The groups split into three different areas: the team room, which is typically spent deadlifting and cleaning, the weight room which is more focused on squatting and benching, and the field, which is where players work on their speed and agility.  

Senior Avery Born, a starting strongside defensive end and wingback, gives his take of the most important training area.  

“I found the speed and agility rotations to be the most helpful. As an athlete, I believe mobility beats strength,” Born said. 

However, the class isn’t only about building muscle. Typically, Thursdays and Fridays are spent watching film, not only from their previous games but from opposing teams’ previous games as well. The team may also head out on the football field in the morning to complete walkthroughs of what they had seen on film, or even just to have an extra hour of practice, typically spent on special teams. Some mornings, the team will arrive half an hour to an hour before the class starts in order to get a head start on the day’s tasks.   

“Walkthroughs help me learn the game and be confident,” junior Ridley Joseph said. “Being able to see what the other team is going to do and then going out to practice it is a big help.” 

If a player were to join the team the previous spring and then quit by fall, they are asked by coach James Teter to switch to a different period. The team keeps the first period strictly football related. Even though the entire team practices three hours a day together, they are often split into small groups, not giving different positions much time to interact outside the locker room. This class allows the groups to become much larger, giving players more time to help themselves and their teammates improve.  

“My favorite part is meeting everybody. It really helped bonding amongst the team,” senior Logan St. John said.  

Nevertheless, when Friday nights arrive, the coaches, players, and fans are forced to wonder whether it has been enough to bring the team to a victory.  

“The class most definitely improved my performance on game days. An extra hour a day to work out and watch film adds up over time and has proven to help all the football players,” Born said. “I do find it necessary for all players to take this class. Players who do not take this class miss out on extra work they could be getting, putting the rest of us ahead.”