Eager Wahoo Team Emerges at Midnight
Launch the media gallery 1 playerMonday Morning Lights, anyone?
They burned brightly in the wee hours at Wahoo High School for the
first high school football practice of the season in the state.
Midnight Madness at Wahoo? And not for basketball? That's the sport
normally associated with midnight practices, and the game in which
Wahoo has excelled for most of the past 20 years.
For 90 minutes, beginning shortly after midnight, the Warriors went
through their first drills of the season.
"I didn't think I could stay awake that long," running back Layne
Moore said. "Throughout the whole day, you're thinking, 'Wow,
practice is like in four hours.'"
Monday was the opening day of practice for Nebraska teams that
have games Aug. 28 or 29. Wahoo opens Aug. 29 at home against Omaha
Roncalli.
In Iowa, Monday was the first day of practice for all high school
football teams.
Midnight practices have been common for years in college basketball
on the first day the NCAA permits practice, and high school
football teams in California, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas have done
it this year.
It's permissible under Nebraska School Activities Association
rules, Executive Director Jim Tenopir said, and a few high school
basketball teams in Nebraska and Iowa have done it over the years.
Tenopir said he is unaware of football teams trying it in Nebraska,
although schools don't have to report practice schedules to the
NSAA.
Wahoo football coach Chad Fox has had the idea since coming to
the school seven years ago. He decided to try it this year because
Wahoo teachers and students didn't have to be in school Monday.
Teachers were to report today, and school starts Thursday.
"I know I couldn't do this if I had to get back up at 7 and have a
full day in front of me," Fox said.
The Warriors practiced in shirts, shorts and helmets only. The pads
come Wednesday, the first day that tackling and blocking are
allowed by state rule.
Matt Myers, the team's best lineman, said he preferred the
late-night hours to waking up for a normal 6:30 a.m. practice.
"I thought maybe more people would be yawning when Coach was
talking," Myers said. "There was more energy to practice than I
thought."
Not one of the 54 players was late. As they arrived, the scoreboard
was counting down the seconds until Sunday turned into Monday and
practice was permissible.
"The kids were upset when I told them they couldn't be on the field
until after 12," Fox said. "They wanted to get out and do some
things in advance, but we had to hold them back."
The curious included about 30 parents, siblings and girlfriends.
The fathers grouped together around picnic tables near the
concession stand. The mothers, some with cameras, watched from the
grandstand.
Mothers of the senior players prepared sack breakfasts of orange
juice and doughnuts with sprinkles in the team colors of blue and
yellow, said Claire Moore, Layne's mother, and Jodi Gensler, who
has two sons on the team.
Claire Moore said she thought her son was joking when he told her
about the midnight practice. But she warmed quickly to the
idea.
"I wondered why my son likes to stay out late. It's beautiful at
this time of night," she said. "Kudos to Coach Fox for thinking of
something like this."