With one flick of a switch the high school football season at Marshall High began without all the things kids dread most about preseason practice. No midday sun roasting. No early-morning alarm clocks ringing.
It was a typical practice under the lights. Just one that happened to start at midnight. Football camps officially began in most of Northern Virginia on Tuesday.
But for the second consecutive year, the Statesmen chose to speed up the process with a Midnight Madness practice at 12 a.m.
Over the next week, teams throughout the Washington, D.C. area will begin a similar regimen — albeit most at a regular hour. “It was a great way to get past that first day of practice and still have fun with it,” said Marshall senior fullback/linebacker Doug Howell. “Usually you dread it. This way it turns into a team-building experience.”
Practice began on Aug. 1st for a limited number of teams in Northern Virginia, including Stuart and Falls Church, because students return to class earlier at those Fairfax County public schools. It begins for public schools in Washington, D.C. today and in Maryland next Wednesday. Howell and the Statesmen spent about 20 hours at Marshall beginning Monday afternoon. The players had a voluntary team combine, recording physical tasks like 40-yard dash times and bench press totals. Then came an evening cookout hosted by parents and coaches and an evening playing other sports together, like basketball and volleyball. Virginia High School League rules prohibit shoulder pads until three days into the preseason and full contact drills until after five days, so Marshall coach J.T. Biddison kept the midnight practice basic.
After finishing around 2 a.m., players camped in the school gym, according to Howell. Parents made a team breakfast in the morning and then came a more traditional 9 a.m. practice. That’s the route defending DCIAA champion Ballou will take this morning when public schools in the District are first allowed to practice. “It’s all about avoiding those peak hours and keeping kids safe,” said Knights coach Mo Ware, whose players will face temperatures in the upper-80s even during todayÕs 8 a.m. practice. “There are plenty of fluids available and weÕre keeping practices shorter. You don’t want to be out there much more than 90 minutes.” Ballou won’t return to the field until 6 p.m., according to Ware. But even then temperatures are expected to be at 96 degrees with a heat index making it feel like 103. “There’s no way around it because the midnight practice is just one time,” said Marshall senior linebacker/running back Chris Hurlburt. “All you can do is get some rest and hope it isnÕt too hot. But either way itÕs all worth it once the season starts.”
Back to Business — Marshall finished 7-3 last fall, posting its first winning season since 1994. È Ballou had a historic campaign in 2006. The Knights were 9-3 and beat rival Dunbar in the Turkey Bowl, 34-33, for their first DCIAA championship. È Football practice begins a week later for Maryland public schools Ñ Aug. 15 Ñ as does the opening week of the 2007 season, which starts Sept. 7.
