Offseason Disappearing for Many High School Sports

August 6, 2014 / Football
From News-Press.com

The last week of June was supposed to be the “dark” week for Florida’s high school football players.

No open weight rooms, no voluntary or mandatory conditioning sessions, no seven-on-seven games were on the schedule for programs throughout Southwest Florida.

Nevertheless, on Tuesday and Thursday, Fort Myers senior quarterback Dylan DeGroot gathered with some of his teammates at Fort Myers High in order to do even more conditioning on their own. Their efforts provided more proof that the “offseason,” particularly for high school football, has ceased to exist.

“If you’re not working out once or twice a week or running routes, you’re going to be behind the game,” DeGroot said. “You know that if you’re not working, another school or another group of players is going to be working, all year round. That’s just how it is. You can’t take too long of a break, or you’re going to be behind the eight ball.”

Although public school for Lee and Collier counties does not begin until Monday, Aug. 18, practices in fall sports can commence Monday.

Most football programs will begin between 7 and 9 a.m. with a practice that can run up to three hours. Some programs will be having an afternoon “walk-through,” in which plays can be discussed but no helmets can be worn and no drills can be run.

Click here to read the complete story.


Leave a Reply