How will warm weather affect spring high school sports teams as seasons get started?

The next phase of the IHSA high school sports year has slowly kicked in, but spring teams have gotten more early-season work outside than most of the coaches can remember.

That's because the weather has been unseasonably warm, and, for the most part, pretty dry. While there have been a few days with high wind gusts, and others with overcast skies, it has still been one of the weirdest — and most productive — late winter-early springs for area programs.

"We're pretty fortunate because we have some pretty nice indoor facilities available," said Hononegah softball head coach Dennis McKinney, who is also the executive director of the Stateline Sports Group, which has a 10,000-square foot facility just north of Machesney Park.

"But even with that available, there's nothing better than being outside, and getting to really break down your entire game ... And especially for those younger teams, that don't have all that time working together, this time is huge."

Hononegah has one of the youngest teams in the NIC-10 this year after losing five starting seniors from last year's undefeated conference champs. There are only three seniors this season, and they have come together quickly during this stretch of nice weather.

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The spring sports of track and field, baseball, softball, girls soccer and girls tennis all rely on decent weather for training and competitions. Most seasons don't even begin to pick up speed until sometime in April. This one had a nice pace to it by late February.

According to the state climatologist's website, the average temperature in February rose to 35.1 degrees, 4.0 degrees above the 1991–2020 average. That allowed most teams to get out way more than usual.

"I don't think we have ever been able to practice outside before March 1 more than three or four times total in the last 20 years for our sprinters," Winnebago track and field coach Joe Erb said. "This year, we have been outside probably 15 times, enabling us to get a great quality of work in. I'm sure this is true for all programs without a fieldhouse."

It's also allowed for teams to start the season a lot earlier than usual.

"We've been outside since the first week," Hononegah baseball coach Matt Simpson said. "And anytime you can get outside, and work on all aspects of the game, it's a good thing. There's a lot to adjust to when you go from inside to out, so to get all this work in outside, before the season even starts, it just make you more prepared."

And for some of the athletes, it's really come in handy.

"For us sprinters," Winnebago senior Supreme Muhammad said, "it's huge. I can't remember having this much outdoor work this soon in the year. I've taken advantage whenever I can."

Now, it doesn't exactly work to every team's advantage.

"The weather has been great. But I actually like the crappy weather because we always train outside in it, and I feel like I get ahead of others," Freeport's girls soccer coach Nick Namio said. "The nice weather might be evening things out.

"But there has already been more nice days this year than we usually get in an entire season."

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Warm weather in Rockford brings big changes to spring high school sports