MRH's summer workouts expected to pay off on the gridiron
MRH enjoys first time in 7 vs. 7 camp
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| Rick Graefe photo/ MRH coach David Harris instructs his offense during a break in last week’s 7 vs. 7 training at CBC. |
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The wide receiver and linebacker for the Maplewood-Richmond Heights football team is throwing up the bar loaded with 225 pounds repetition after repetition.
The 6-foot-2 205-pound Lindsey spends every day of the week doing something along these lines. So do the 30 or so fellow Blue Devils who rotate through the different weightlifting stations, one piled on top of the other, in the small garage adjacent to the school.It's how the MRH football team is trying to get over it's Blair Oaks hangover.
After rolling through their regular season unbeaten and roaring into the playoffs, MRH ran into Blair Oaks in the Class 2 semifinals and was manhandled by the small school power.
That sparked a new offseason program for MRH.
While the coaching staff stressed the importance of offseason conditioning, this is the first summer the Blue Devils have participated in 7 vs. 7 drills.
For those who don't know, 7 vs. 7 is a pad-less exhibition for football teams. The groups are usually between four and six schools that meet up once a week and play 20-minute games against one another over the course of two hours. The games are played from the 50-yard-line toward the end zone, so two games can be played at once. There is no tackling and no hitting.
The purpose of the drills is to improve offensive timing and defensive awareness.
It also gives the athletes a break from the monotony of lifting and conditioning.
"It's something to look forward too as far as competing," Lindsey said. "We're playing other schools."
Each Wednesday, MRH would lineup with host Christian Brothers College High, Mary Institute-Country Day School, Lindbergh and Kirkwood.
The teams played three games per day. It generated a lot of interest, especially for the Blue Devils.
"Little old MRH has more kids than the big schools," MRH coach David Harris said.
The sideline was chock full of players who shuttled in and out throughout the hot July morning. Harris said everyone who shows up and has their paperwork turned in, gets to play.
"The hope is we can go into the season tuned up," Harris said.
Drills have been a great workout for senior quarterback Les Williams. He's got a new crop of wide receivers to try and connect with and the summer work can only help.
"We've got to get that chemistry going," he said.
Williams, 6-foot and 180-pounds, said the speed of the 7 vs. 7 requires precise route running and an extra touch of accuracy.
"You got to be crisp," he said.
Another reason for the Blue Devils diving into the summer workout was the change to the football playoff system. As of this fall, the Missouri State High School Activities Association will allow the top two teams in each district to advance to the postseason bracket. The old rule only allowed the top team in each district into the playoff bracket.
That means there is an extra round of playoffs, which means the playoffs start a week earlier than in previous years.
With less time to prepare in the preseason, getting the most out of the summer workouts is crucial. You can't show up in August and expect to play the last weekend of November at the Show-Me Bowl.
"We're running 10 40-yard dashes after we lift," Williams said. "We're getting ready for that fourth quarter. It's conditioning right now. Everybody has to step up."
Fall sports can begin official practicing on Monday, Aug. 11.
