While the summer months can feel like a slog, the energy on the gridiron has shifted.
Eighteen days from today is the first game of the 2019 high school football season, leaving programs little time before the Friday night lights return.
Seymour High School held its annual team camp last week at Bulleit Stadium, allowing players and coaches to spend long hours together on and off the field.
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The Owls held practice from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, going over all the details they hope will make them a successful program this fall. This year’s roster, from freshman to senior class, has 80 players
“We started out with lifting and film, with the offense and defense flip-flopping,” Owls head coach Mike Kelly said. “We then have an individual special teams meeting before we end with a position-specific meeting before practice. Our practice format starts with heavy individual time and then ends with team time towards the end.”
While the on-field sessions are important, Kelly has stressed the importance of doing the work in the classroom to his team.
“So much of what we do, from a football standpoint, is cerebral,” Kelly said. “Some people think that football is just beating heads, a physical game, but the reality is that so much of what you do takes place before the snap even happens. We are teaching our guys what they should be looking for, what they need to look at, alignments, and footwork.
All the basic stuff that needs to happen before and after the snap. Sometimes you don’t realize the mistakes you’re making. It’s an opportunity to see and learn about themselves.”
Incoming senior lineman Cameron Barr said the team grew closer over the camp.
“This week has been going well. We have a lot of energy,” Barr said. “We’ve been working a lot on individuals this year. We work as a team, but right now we are really focusing on our position groups and skills.”
Switching up the practice schedule has benefited the Owls, Kelly said.
“So much growth happens this week. Usually, you’re going two days a week and there’s a day in between,” he said. “This is more what we are going to see in terms of our regular season. It gets us to being around each other, working back-to-back days, and being together.”
While the Owls have shown improvement, senior linebacker Ethan Corwin says they need to keep focused. Corwin is the only returning starter on the Owls’ defense.
“We’re just working on our discipline,” Corwin said. “Our discipline hasn’t been too great. We went to Salem scrimmage and we didn’t compete very well. We just need to be more disciplined and want to get to the ball every play.”
The Owls will host an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday and go to Silver Creek for a scrimmage on Aug. 16. On Aug. 23, SHS opens its season against South Dearborn.
Kelly said that you can feel the excitement throughout the program.
“We were inside (Tuesday) and we had the middle schoolers with us. We had around 125 guys,”he said. “You could hear the excitement when they broke it down. You could hear the intensity. They’re getting jacked up and excited for football. You can feel that energy, and we’re trying to instill that in the way we’re practicing.”
The players are chomping at the bit to get the season started.
“We’re ready for Week 1: South Dearborn at home,” Corwin said. “We’re getting juiced.”