Arcola football 27 players out and they are ‘all having fun’
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By Mike Monahan
ARCOLA – Last year Arcola football coach Sergio Medina was hired June 11. So this season he has more time to work with the team, which consists of 27 players.
“Obviously being here this year as opposed to when I started last year we were able to use June as the lifting time and we used a little bit of meeting times so they all had the information. I was able to meet with them during study hall in the school year. So, it was a lot easier to come out here and say these are the plays we are running and they had already seen them before. Our progress is a lot faster than opposed to starting from scratch. It has been good. They are taking it all in.”
June was spent lifting weights and doing some very basic skills. After the new dead period (nothing in football or any sport was done from June 29 to July 5) the team has been in full pads and helmets and practice Monday through Thursday.
“Everybody has been having a good time,” said Medina. “ They all say,’ this is fun’. They have fun in the weight room. We told the maintenance staff to turn off the a.c. in the weight room. It is not supposed to be fun, but they are having fun. They are embracing the aspect that I want them to.”
Last season it was a season like no other as the Purple Riders were in a co-op with Cerro Gordo/Bement which brought the number to 32. CGB is competing in the eight man league this fall. Arcola finished 1-7 after going 4-5 three straight seasons.
“We keep attendance and there have been 27 different kids that have been here,” said Medina last Thursday after practice. “A couple told us last week that they would be gone this week for family vacation and some other things like work. That is why there is a little lower number today (22). All of last week (July 6-9) we had 22 and were able to practice 11 on 11. We have a good core. Obviously you feel like you want a few more so you can have someone if someone gets hurt. Hopefully they (the team) will tell their friends and we get a few more when school starts.”
This fall the season will be different in that it starts August 21 and ends October 16, which is a week earlier than normal. The other thing is the playoffs will not be a big deal for some teams as the IHSA increased the number of teams from 32 to 48 in each of the eight classes. The top 16 teams receive a bye in the first round. This means that if a team wins two or three games, they are more than likely in the playoffs.
The official first day of practice is August 5 and the first game is August 21 at Nokomis. In addition the game at Villa Grove is Saturday, September 5 at 10 a.m.due to VG not being able to get officials (and the possible heat) for Friday night, September 4.
“We have been putting on helmets and pads during the contact days,” said Medina. “Once we get everyone here consistently I feel like we are in a good spot.”
The Purple Riders did not compete in any 7-on-7 competition.
“I would have liked to, but it didn’t work out,” said Medina. “The one we could have been in last week with the July dead period and only three days going into it, I didn’t feel like that would be a good plan for us. We had some kids that said they were going to miss the 7-on-7 and we needed everybody there. We want to compete in the 7-on-7’s and not be embarrassed.”