High school football and volleyball practices off and running
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By Mike Monahan
ARCOLA – After the Illinois High School Association dead period the Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond football team along with the new Arcola football team, one that is in a co-op with Cerro Gordo, hit the hot ground running Monday. Arcola also started volleyball practice in Nancy Stiff Gymnasium.
For Arcola football there were 17 from Arcola and 13 from Cerro Gordo/Bement giving the Arcola Purple Riders 30 players.
“We had a couple of no-shows so we should be hovering around the mid 30’s,” said Arcola first-year coach Sergio Medina. “Hopefully, we get to 40.”
As far as the first day, which began with meetings at noon and lunch before going to the practice field at 3:15 p.m. until 6 p.m.
“The mindset going into the first day was can we get back in the groove and can we line up correctly because today was a defensive practice day,” said Medina. “We were able to line up correctly and had a good mentality all day because we brought them in around noon and we were able to get some work in with meetings and then we got some conditioning in at the end. You could ask any coach today and they would say we are not where we want to be, but at least we took a step to where we want to be, I think.”
Arcola assistant coaches are Steven Franco, Tommy Eddleman and Huge Garza, while coming from CGB to help coach are Chris Ridgeway (CGB head coach) and Doug Henderson.
The teams did meet the final two days before the dead period began, but only seven from each team.
“It was kind of like a trial run, “ said Medina. “So, this was the first time being all together. I thought it went well for bringing two groups together. They were just thinking, ‘Hey, this is our assignment and let’s get to it.’”
During lunch today (Monday) everybody was sitting together,” said Medina. “It wasn’t this side versus that side.”
Arcola lost nine players from last year due to graduation in Jayden Henson-Stice, Alan Guevara, Kevin Vazquez, Braden Phillips, Ryder Wilcox-Rich, Bryan Mendoza, Orlando Marcos and Gael Elizondo, while the Cerro Gordo/Bement Broncos lost a lot of seniors as well, with 12. They were Jacen Helm, Brenden Puckett, Dylan Davis, Tyler Barnes, Mark Aubert, Devon Greenwood, Gavin Walsh, Parker Summers, Michael Freese, Gavin Pierce, and Peyton Hyde.
ALAH coach Ryan Jefferson reported over 50 on the team and said he won’t have an exact number because the number will fluctuate in the first week, but he is sure they will have 50.
“Practive went well,” said Jefferson, whose team was 9-2 last year making the second round of the Class 2A playoffs and finishing second in the Lincoln Prairie Conference at 8-1. “The heat (feels like temperature in the mid 90s) definitely played a part and created some sluggishness, but as far as summer knowledge returning, we are in a great spot after night one.”
The Knights practices from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jefferson said, “We did that to beat the heat, but it was still brutal when the breeze was absent.”
Three members of ALAH made the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette Nifty 50 in senior running back/linebacker Easton Frederick, Cash Hale (wide receiver and defensive back) and Payton Warrior (running back/defensive back). All three are seniors.
“This group of upperclassmen is special and was probably further ahead than any group I’ve had by the end of the summer.”
The Arcola volleyball team has 29 out this year, an increase of four from last season when the Lady Riders went 15-12. Chelsea Beals, a former Lake Land assistant volleyball coach in 2013-14, returns as an assistant.
“We are going to work on serve receive today,” said Whisman of Monday’s practice. “We will also work on serving and really paying attention with our serves. Serve receive is going to be a big thing this year and we will work on our passing. We graduated a lot of people (nine).”
Arcola lost Kacie Sisk, Ambrielle Alexander, Lucy Gonzalez de Paz, Hayden Gauna, Yosy Gauna, Ileana Jaramillo, Shelby Roberts-McGeehon, Ava Simpson and Nohemi Vasquez.
In the summer they had scrimmages with Tuscola, Villa Grove and Sullivan.
“We got together about three times a week and did open gyms throughout July,” said Whisman.