Practice makes perfect
Are you ready for some football?
The Philip Simmons High School football team certainly is.
The Iron Horses began fall practice July 31 after a summer of weight lifting, running, and working in specific position groups to refine their skills and get in sync with teammates.
That was preceded by spring practices and games after numerous athletes competed in specific spring sports to help them keep in shape and remain focused.
And spring practice was preceded by winter conditioning, which was preceded by the actual football season.
Get the picture?
Football is pretty much year-round these days, even if workouts are voluntary. The investment is sweat, sometimes a little blood, and sore muscles. The payout can include region championships, all-star status, and, perhaps, a chance to play at the next level.
The Iron Horses, in their ninth season as a varsity program, kick off the season on Friday, Aug. 21, when they travel to play Berkeley Country rival Hanahan High School.
The Iron Horses put in the work. Now, it’s time to savor success. The Iron Horses went 10-3 last fall with a Region 6-AA championship and an impressive playoff run.
The Iron Horse scrimmaged Lucy Beckham High School on Aug. 7, and will wrap up the preseason with an appearance in the Berkeley County Lions Club Jamboree on Friday, Aug. 14, against Colleton County.
“We spent the first few days of (fall) practice getting acclimated to pads and the heat,” Philip Simmons coach Eric Bendig said. “The first few days of practice were awesome. These players bought in all summer and are very much ahead of the curve on football IQ and our systems; now it is about gearing up to the contact and the toll a season can take on their bodies. But they are in a great spot.”
Bendig said the scrimmage and jamboree are an important process of prepping for the regular season.
“So much of games against good opponents come down to who is better at the critical situations in games and especially late in the game: two-minute offense, redzone play, third downs, etc.,” Bendig said “It is imperative to get as many live reps at these situations as you can in the scrimmages and jamborees. Our guys need the time at these jamborees and scrimmages to see the procedures and reasoning behind what we carry into a game and why we do certain things. It can be looked at like a dress rehearsal.”