For athletes, there really is no summer break. Working out keeps them ready to start strong on day one of season practices. As the summer progresses, the anticipation for the new season and the start of practices builds.

Football

The stadium lights are off, the stands are empty, and you can hear a pin drop. However, when the clock strikes midnight, teenage boys filled with adrenaline and excitement rush to the field. Counting during the warm ups, the whistle being blown, and boys laughing during drills fill the air. These sounds mean the season all the team has been anticipating has begun.

The football team started off their practices with Midnight Madness, and the football players said that it was a very exhilarating and exciting way to begin their season. They had been working really hard trying to prepare for the season.

“We were all really excited when two a days started because we’ve worked out all summer and practiced together,” Junior Hector Dominguez said. “Now, we actually get to play and do what we love.”

Some players said this season is their most exciting yet, because most players on the team are returners, as well, as being mostly composed of juniors; they feel like this is finally their team and their season.

“We’ve been practicing a lot this week,” Junior Jesus Garcia said. “This is our season this year now that we’re upperclassmen, and we want to go far.”

The players said that it is running smoothly because they are running the same offense as last year, so that most of the players are aware of what’s going on. Also, the defensive team is really clicking together this year, and they see the team as a very defensive team.

“Most of the team has played on varsity before and they know what to expect,” Dominguez said. “We have lots of returners which is really good for our defense and offense.”

Cross Country

From tackling dummies to running miles, Bison sports team are always training hard. Running, running, and more running is what their practices are composed of. The XC team spent the summer preparing themselves physically, as well as mentally, to have a more successful season. When interviewed, the athletes said that they started off timing their two and three miles, and they kicked off the season faster than what they ended last year.

“Both teams ran significantly faster on the first day of practice than what they ended the season with last year,” Coach Sheila Rubel said. “I see more determination this year to be better.”

The first few weeks of practice began with excitement as the athletes realized that this season could make history for the team. Coach Rubel said that both boys and girls teams had runners who shared a common goal, and that is to go further past district.

“We have a more experienced team this year,” Coach Rubel said. “The runners are more involved this year and they’ve set goals they’re working towards.”

Volleyball

Bumping, setting and spiking, is what the volleyball girls love to do. New team, who dis? The volleyball team hit a complete 360 this year, with their attitudes being more enthusiastic about the season and showing more success early on than previous seasons. The players say that they hype each other up a lot, even though they mess around a lot.

“This season is very fun because we are always messing around and doing crazy stuff with each other,” Melanie McGill said. “ But play wise, we have started off better than we did last year, we already have more wins than we did the entire season last year.”

The volleyball girls have not started district yet, but they said that this year they should be going into district stronger and hopefully make it to the play offs. They said that the work they’ve put into practice are showing in the games.

“We work hard in practice because we want to improve the program,” McGill said. “If we keep playing how we started the season then we should do a lot better that last year.”