From the Bleachers
with Rich Summers
I spent two evenings last week at the CCHS football practice field watching the Red Raiders go through “heat acclimation drills.” For the uninitiated like me, heat acclimation is a new PIAA requirement for scholastic football teams in the state, which is basically a week of agility workouts prior to the official start of practice. I don’t know what this says about global warming, but it is ironic that a cold front moved in during the week of heat acclimation, making temperatures pretty pleasant for the players.
I am meeting with head coach Scott Burnside on Thursday night during media day, but we had a quick conversation about this season’s team. He has just 20 kids expected to begin practice this week, which is an extremely low number. In talking with Burnside it became clear that rather than bemoan his lack of numbers he was embracing the challenge. And watching his kids give a solid effort during drills it was apparent that they have to.