True Grit Gets it Done: MiddSouth Football

image+courtesy+of+app.com+Asbury+Park+Press%2C+part+of+the+USA+Today+network

image courtesy of app.com Asbury Park Press, part of the USA Today network

Matt McGrath, Sports Editor

Middletown South is renowned for many things: academics, arts, and most notably for its prestigious football program. Starting with the dynasty established during Knowshon Moreno’s high school days, the South football team has maintained its elite status within the Shore Conference and the state of New Jersey as a whole. Obviously, football is a large part of the culture that accompanies Middletown South, but many individuals are unaware of what the team endures when not putting on a show under the Friday night lights. Out of the nearly 1400 people that attend South, merely sixty athletes represent the varsity football squad. To find out more about what occurs during the average week of a football player leading up to the big game, I interviewed one of South’s varsity football players: #23 Junior, Jake Bancala.

Me: On average how long do football practices last?

Jake: Well, it really depends on what day of the week it is. We spend the earlier portion of the week practicing intensely for about 2.5-3 hours, but then we will take it a little easy the day before a game and only go through the motions of practice for about an hour and a half or so.

Me: How often do you practice?

Jake: Varsity practices Monday through Thursday, and our games are usually on Fridays. We spend Mondays going over gameplans, and Tuesday to Thursday is practicing in pads. All of this preparation leads up to Friday night, where we always expect to come away with a win.

Me: What is the hardest part about practice?

Jake: Ultimately, the wear and tear of practice each week is definitely the most difficult aspect. The constant exhaustion and impact from practice eventually catches up to us, but we know as competitors that the hard practices will make us better on game day.

Me: Specifically, what do you guys do at practice?

Jake: Practice is actually a very repetitive and tedious task. We usually run the same plays over and over again until the actions are ingrained in our minds.  After repeating the same motions and perfecting particular plays, we end practice with some sort of conditioning in order to keep up our fitness.

Me: At the end of the week, is all that time spent practicing worth it?

Jake: Considering we have won fifteen games in a row, then yes, I would say it is worth it. Whenever you work really hard to be good at something, it is always rewarding when you can celebrate at the end of the week.