It’s early – brutally early – but for the incoming freshman and returning members of our football team, sleep is a luxury they’ll have to rediscover later. This is the winter offseason, and that only means one thing: preparation.

For 8th graders, this is their first taste of high school football.

“I think this will get me in good shape and allow me to get to know everyone and all the coaches,” eighth-grader Garrett Helm said. “I’m looking forward most to playing with my team again and being with new coaches.”

These early mornings  – that begin at 5:45 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays – are designed to train their physical and mental fortitude.

For the returning players, they understand the importance of these early mornings. They know that practice makes perfect. They’re forged in sweat-soaked hours before the morning bell. The atmosphere is filled with camaraderie from both athletes and coaches, offering words of encouragement between gasping breaths.

“Right now, the best we can do is to make them stronger and more disciplined,” Coach Kenny Nowling said. “Especially the discipline aspect. Football games aren’t easy and can put you in uncomfortable situations. Waking up to get to the school at 5:45 a.m. and go through a challenging workout isn’t comfortable either. We are trying to make them right now comfortable being in uncomfortable situations.”

Coach Nowling also walks through the process of workouts in the morning, with eighth graders starting off with speed and agility and the high schoolers start with strength workouts. There’s a shared understanding that every rep, every sprint is an investment in the team’s future. As for coaches, they acknowledge the commitment these guys put into every early morning and how bad they want it.