The Morro Bay high school football team hit the practice field for the first time last Friday and have found a process that's working for them. The coaches say this time period, before the regular season commences, is vital to the players' conditioning, and more importantly, their physical health.
The NFL has seen numerous, season-ending, soft tissue injuries this season, and the lack of a real off-season program and no preseason games could be the culprit. Jake Goossen-Brown, Morro Bay head football coach, says these two months before practice starts will hopefully make a world of difference.
"I think it's a big deal with safety. Having the opportunity to come out, work, and condition, and to help secure their body and make sure their joints are all stable," said Goossen-Brown. "And also having that cardio and making sure they are physically ready for the season. I think if we had just started on December 9th, it would've been difficult, and I'm not sure how safe it would have been for them. I'm really happy that we're able to do this and get them out here, so they're going to be protected during the season."
"We've really been stressing that we don't want to get shut down," said Dylan Turner, a junior running back and linebacker. "Anytime we're not running or breathing hard, we put our masks on, we're staying six feet apart; we have a lot of stuff spread out. We run to our water, we take our masks off, and then we get right back to it. We're really safe and cautious throughout the whole process."
"We're stoked to come out and stoked to be here. We're just hoping that it doesn't get shut down," said Hayden Brown, a senior running back and linebacker, "We have to be disciplined for everything and listen to our coaches and do what we're supposed to do."
