OPENING DAY: Saints take the field eager to work

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on August 2, 2016 1:48 PM

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jhayes@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- In unison or not at all.

That expression captured Monday's agenda for the Southern Wayne varsity football team, which powered through an intense, dewpoint-heavy opening practice assembly.

Call it a chorus line in helmets.

Upon completion of a rapid-fire calisthenics assortment, the Saints broke into a motivating bit of program mantra, a pattern that would ultimately characterize the two-plus hour affair.

And make no mistake -- it was loud.

"If it ain't red, white or blue, I feel sorry for you," the team shouted.

Divided afterward into small groups, the players worked on the offensive side of the ball. In dizzying order, they handled varying degrees of stance construction, footwork development and route precision.

There were bag shuttles.

Cone drills.

Route curls and a three-point stance crawl.

In a word, taxing.

"When you leave here today," head coach David Lee offered, "you should be exhausted. That's what these days are supposed to be."

The Saints, however, pressed onward.

As the temperature steadily increased, so too did the players' vocal support of one another, pushing each jersey number through the remaining conditioning stations and fundamental-based work outlets.

It was a spirited, comprehensive showing for the program, and one that drew praise from its primary whistle-blower.

"Everyone on this team has a role," Lee said. "That's what we need. Everyone is important to what we do."

All together.

All in.