Pat Benson
A lot of work goes into shining bright under the Friday night lights. Some of the less glamorous days come in the first week of August. This is when a lot of the heavy lifting gets done. The players put their pads on, sunburnt coaches are scrutinizing minor details, the band is practicing, and parents are diligently working on facilities like worker bees.
At Soddy Daisy the players start at 5PM by getting in a lift at the weight room, followed by an hour of film study, capped off with 2 hours on the field. The outdated practice of two-a-days are gone and replaced with a much more efficient plan that has players rotating around the field to different stations. Head Coach Justin Barnes focus is on players practicing at full speed and learning how to play the right way (with extra emphasis on the right way).
Over the next few weeks the Trojans scrimmage against Bradley Central, have 2 jamboree exhibitions against Baylor and Notre Dame, and kickoff the season by hosting rival Red Bank. But preparation on the field is only part of the work that must be done.
In addition to teaching and coaching (and the myriad responsibilities that entails), local coaches take on the mantle of head groundskeeper and fundraiser in chief. The Soddy Daisy football program and its booster club sell discount cards, season tickets, field signs, and sends out email fundraisers just to pay the bills. To provide context, $6,000 has been spent on field maintenance alone. Not to mention equipment, travel, and food.
If the plethora of work to be done wears on the coaching staff, it certainly doesn’t show. Though Coach Barnes and his staff demand a sharp practice, they are quick to make a light-hearted joke which visibly relaxes the team as they regain focus for the next drill. The Trojans will need that balanced mindset if they are going to make it through the 4-5A gauntlet and repeat as region champs.
Thursday evening was characteristically humid and muggy. But when I was leaving the campus, I took one last look back at the field, and as the sun was setting you could almost hear the late great John Rawlston’s voice over the P.A. The new track, manicured grass, people of different backgrounds working together to make Friday nights special. It was impossible not to feel a sense of pride in the community.
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Pat Benson is a fixture at high school sporting events. He has been a sideline reporter, P.A. announcer, and radio personality. Tweet him @Pat_Benson_Jr.