'Better every week': Area prep football teams preparing for upcoming season
Jul. 28—It may be too early in the year to talk about championships, but it's definitely not too early in the day to lay the groundwork.
With searing heat the norm, and with no relief in sight, area high school football teams have scheduled early morning and/or early evening workouts in an effort to prepare for the upcoming season, which is set to start in three weeks.
For some schools, such as Bakersfield High, work started at 5:45 a.m. on Friday, with practice rapping up by 8:15 or so. Other schools such as Liberty and East got a bit more sleep and started at 6, with Mira Monte and Foothill starting a little later, but still finishing up by 11.
Independence started its Friday with a 6 a.m. classroom session, followed by a series of drills on the grass field adjacent to the football field, trying to work out any kinks before the season arrives.
"I think we just gotta play it week by week," said Ezekiel Bagby, an incoming junior linebacker at Independence. "And I can see we are getting better every week."
A pair of first-year coaches have been utilizing the early evening to avoid the triple-digit temperatures.
Stockdale's Daron Mackey started Thursday's practice in the weight room and then followed with a workout on the JV baseball outfield, with a speaker blaring music as an added touch.
Pete Hernandez Jr. has also chosen evening workouts for his Del Oro squad, which will be making its debut at the varsity level this season.
"This season is going to help determine the identity of the team, school and community that is Del Oro," Hernandez said. "We are setting the foundation and standard of excellence we wish to be committed to as a football program for years to come."
