By Dave Belcher
Moapa Valey Progress
Pirate football is getting underway again. The Moapa Valley High School started its 2011 football season just after midnight on Thursday morning, August 4, stirring up a chorus of sounds from chickens, dogs and peacocks living around the high school.
About 95 football players arrived at the school in the middle of the night to begin the process of getting in shape for the first game on August 20 at University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale Arizona against Show Low high school the defending 3A state champion of Arizona. (Preview for this game will be in next week’s paper)
Sophomores, juniors and seniors will continue practice Monday thru Wednesday next week with the freshman players returning to work on Thursday. The varsity team was allowed to start eight days earlier than the rest of the state due to the upcoming game.
Wearing their blue helmets, the players began their annual boot camp where they worked, played, lived, slept and ate right there at the high school for the three days and nights of boot camp.
Practices were four-a-day with conditioning and technique in the morning then breakfast. A break for a couple hours then more technique and more conditioning. After lunch and a quick nap and shower, the players returned to the practice field for strength testing, speed testing, mat drills (the sumo contest) and yoga. They worked on plays, both offense and defense, during night practices, getting a refresher on the concepts, positions and timing of the plays.
Saturday ended with the traditional running of kill hill. Then the players joined in the singing of the school fight song once everyone made it up the hill.
The early game and practices give the Pirates an advantage in the beginning helping prepare for another tough schedule and two road games to start off the season.
The week after the Show Low battle, Moapa will travel to Desert Hills in St George on August 26 for their only meeting with a Utah school this year.
Last season Desert Hills knocked off Hurricane who was undefeated until that game. Hurricane eventually took 2nd in the state championship for the third year in a row.
Desert Hills is one of the favorites to win the 3A title in Utah. When the team finished the run they cleaned up and went home for a well-deserved rest.
Look for the annual Moapa fall sports preview in August 24 edition of the Progress.
