The cracking of football
pads and helmets pierced the early morning air. And a broad-shouldered man
paced back and forth with a practice schedule tucked in his shorts.
"This is it, this
is what we are taking to war with us next Friday,"
And with that,
The team runs sprinting
drills but never fast enough for Baechler.
"Faster, faster," he seems to constantly yell.
The
players' reward for surviving the first 2 1/2 -hour practice? A
30-minute break. And another practice.
"A two-a-day is
something all its own," junior offensive lineman Mike Anderson said.
"When you are a big guy, you carry a lot of weight, and after a while, it
gets heavy."
The chiefs know that
two-a-day practices are the price they have to pay if they want a return trip
to Ford Field for the Division 1 state final.
"You question
yourself like: 'Why am I here? Why am I doing this ... putting myself through
pain on a summer day?' " said senior tight end