North High football team getting ready for the fall in the spring
After spending the last few months in the weight room and conditioning, the North Fort Myers High School football team finally got to put the pads on and do some football drills as spring practice got under way on April 27.
For four weeks, the players will get themselves into football shape through drills, sprints and scrimmages in preparation for their traditional Red/White game this weekend and for their spring game on May 22 at Riverview of Sarasota.
Head football coach Earnest Graham was pleased to see his squad bring the focus and intensity for each practice.
“The kids have been going at it very hard since spring conditioning, getting up early and doing their workouts,” Graham said. “The kids have responded. We have a group that needs to become smarter and understand situations more and bring it out on the field.”
The Red Knights, and other schools, have been blessed with great weather for the most part since practice began, with only one practice being delayed by lightning and the rest being tolerable with dry conditions.
After doing nothing but drills for almost two weeks, the team finally had a chance to scrimmage on Friday. The players sure seemed to appreciate that, as they flew across the field with abandon in the most spirited session of the spring.
“Today they had a chance to scrimmage a little and get after each other to break up the monotony because we’re very learning intensive out here,” Graham said. “We got out into space today and that’s always fun.”
Last year’s squad continued its improvement following a winless season in 2012 with a 5-5 record. However, constant penalties, turnovers and other mistakes prevented them from a playoff berth.
Graham had some learning to do as well, getting adjusted to coaching high school kids and holding them accountable for mistakes they made.
Graham said he has made that adjustment and that the team is working on curtailing those lapses on the field.
“We’ve been addressing that. We want to play smarter football. There’s a lot more accountability and reinforcing of discipline,” Graham said. “We won’t commit those penalties that contributed to us getting beat.”
The next step for Graham is finding leaders on his team, people who will prod and coerce teammates into driving on when they hit a wall.
“With any team, it’s about breaking through the wall and we need to find someone in the peer group to step up. If we can find leaders on our football team we’ll do well,” Graham said.
Dean Lance, offensive and defensive lineman, could be one of those leaders on a team that returns all its starting lineman.
“It’s all about football at North. We love to play, quick, fast reps, quality over quantity every day,” Lance said. “We’re looking at an all senior offensive line and the defense is as hungry as ever.”
Jared Rusnik, who is vying to become starting quarterback for the upcoming season, said the team is working on execution, getting in as many high-quality reps as possible.
“We’re just trying to execute plays. We’re making sure to go through the counts and cadences so the offense is ready for what we have to do,” Rusnik said. “We’re trying to get the team to a better place, not winless like we were, and do what we can to be the best.”
The Red/White game is at 7 p.m. at North Fort Myers High, 5000 Orange Grove Blvd.
The spring game is at 7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Riverview, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota.