Over the years, high school athletes have trained hard during the hot summer months, lifting weights, improving endurance, strength and speed, and preparing to implement coaches’ instructions for their athletes and use the ball of their respective sport in late summer practice. The actual practice time was always mid to late August, as a sign that the regular season was upon us.
This year, rule changes by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference allowed coaches to work with their athletes during two two-hour sessions per week, beginning the week of June 24 through August 9 (excluding the week of July 4) – with balls in play. This gave coaches the ability to hold a dozen two-hour sessions with players and did not include any strength, conditioning or agility training.
Newtown High School football coach Dan Farina and his team have taken advantage of the opportunity to advance while also being careful to avoid burnout.
“It was a good change,” said Farina, adding that the advantage was that the teams did not have to catch up in the short time of just a few weeks before the first game.
Teams can build their practice base earlier and are closer to game-ready mode with some time in reserve.
“I think it will help everyone. But at the same time, they have to be kids,” Farina said, adding that he considered pushing his players with five training sessions a week every morning, but then decided to limit it to four days with a few hours each morning.
One potential downside to the extra time for practice is the risk of burnout among these athletes, especially those who play other sports during the summer, Farina said. Of course, it’s always been a balancing act for coaches to get the most out of them and prepare them without overtaxing them. Football players spend almost all of their time in the weight room from the end of the fall season into the summer months. They train hard during the summer on the turf at Blue & Gold Stadium to prepare for Friday night competition.
“We train pretty hard. They just need time for their bodies to heal,” Farina said.
Doug Michlovitz, a sports coach at NHS, said it is always positive when coaches work with players as long as they take precautions.
“You have to make sure you have enough recovery time,” noted Michlovitz. “The key is to find the balance between improving performance levels and allowing enough recovery time to avoid injury.”
The focus of these extra sessions has been on skills work, said Matt Memoli, athletic director at Newtown High School. Memoli added that coaches have made good use of the opportunity while taking necessary precautions.
“They all care about the student athletes,” Memoli said.
Another piece of the puzzle of the new sports training is logistics. It was a bit difficult to find time and space for all the school sports teams and city recreation programs to use the city’s fields and courts.
“I give a lot of credit to our athletic department and our AD Matt Memoli. He put together a schedule of suggested days for team practices to avoid conflict and competition between coaches and athletes. He held a coaches meeting to explain the CIAC rule change and the proposed schedule,” said Newtown High boys basketball coach Matt Murphy.
On some mornings at Blue & Gold Stadium, you could see the football team using one half of the field while the girls field hockey did skills drills on the other half.
“I think our coaches have done a really good job working together and sharing the student athletes and the facilities,” Memoli added. “Overall, it’s a great thing — a positive thing. I think it’s beneficial for both the teams and the student athletes.”
Field hockey team captain Reese Lischuk said the rule change allows teams to be formed earlier and better, helping athletes come together and build a bond long before the regular season.
“It takes less time to put the team together and more time to teach the skills the coaches want from us,” Lischuk added.
With footballs playing so early in the preseason, Farina has eliminated some practice times to still give athletes a free morning. But he’s done so without sacrificing the strength training he says team members need — thanks to fundraising by the program’s booster club, there’s new equipment in the weight room. There are now nine weight racks, which is a good ratio to keep the 60 or so athletes busy without long wait times, Farina said.
“We’re excited. I think we’ve done a really good job in the weight room and in the offseason,” the coach added. “They know what it takes, they know how to work. I think we’re going in the right direction.”
Although one might initially think that the use of footballs during the preseason will come at the expense of quarterbacks, receivers and running backs, all of the additional game scenarios introduced also help the defense. This is especially true for the Nighthawks, who lost nine starters on defense to departures.
Defensive end and captain CJ St Louis said the use of footballs and early coaching in the game improves footwork and understanding of defensive assignments. Fellow captain Marco D’Amico said the summer training period, including the camps that team members attend, provides a good opportunity for cohesion.
“It helps us get a head start on the season,” said football captain Ayden Paulos.
This is especially important for teams that are going through changes, such as the football team, where Dave Chervansky has taken over as offensive coordinator.
“With a new offensive coordinator, we would be at a huge disadvantage compared to the other teams because we would be using a completely new playbook,” said football captain James Hartigan.
The extra time allows Hartigan and his teammates to get up to speed and everyone can get on the same page about terminology under the guidance of Chervansky, a longtime coach at St. Joseph High in Trumbull. Chervansky has implemented a more robust spread offense than the Hawks employed last fall. Chervansky noted that more reps help players prepare for the game.
The quarterbacks vying for playing time are senior Ryan Schoffstall, junior Marcus Gerace and sophomore Nick Stockwell. All of the QBs are performing well and impressing coaches as the summer prep season progresses, NHS coaches said.
The boys soccer team will feature a mix of new and returning faces, but will need to find some players to strengthen the team following the graduation of some of their top scorers from recent seasons.
“It’s nice for us to have a little bit of a head start,” said Matt Cotto, assistant coach of the boys soccer program, adding that they hope the hard work over the summer will pay off in the fall when the regular season begins.
Cotto said bringing players together for short training sessions allows them to get to know each other and set the bar early for the season.
Although this training transitions from summer to fall, it can also benefit sports teams that compete in winter and spring.
“When we learned of the potential CIAC rule change, we asked our returning players if they were interested in summer workouts. The unequivocal answer was yes,” said NHS boys basketball coach Matt Murphy. “They seemed very excited about the opportunity to come together as a program and practice together.”
“I thought it was a great opportunity for us to work with our players. Our workouts were primarily skills-based – working on fundamental skills and some team concepts, both offensively and defensively. The boys basketball program went out of their way to make sure parents and players were aware of our schedule for the summer and that these workouts were not mandatory. If a player had a summer job, vacation, college visits or other conflicts, it was not a problem,” Murphy added. “We asked them to contact us if they were unable to attend. We were very pleased with the turnout all summer. The kids were very engaged and their time and effort this summer will be evident in the winter.
“Being able to get in the gym and work out together is great whether it’s fall or winter. It’s allowed us to teach and really focus on skill development while bringing the kids together in the program, which is great for chemistry,” Murphy said.
There are spring sports teams, such as lacrosse, that take advantage of the extra practice times, but for some sports teams, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to use summer practices. Just ask NHS softball coach Megan Goyda.
“Softball is so exhausting in the summer with the travel activities and the girls travel so much to tournaments that it’s really not worth it,” Goyda emphasized.
Sports editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at [email protected].
Reese Lischuk of Newtown High School shoots at the goal during a summer field hockey practice. New rules have been implemented that allow coaches to work with athletes and allow players to use balls for drills twice a week for two hours each from June 24 to August 9. —Bee Photos, Hutchison
Stella Wasley prepares for a parade.
Assistant coach Matt Cotto and the boys soccer team were able to benefit from additional touches on the ball this summer.
Jayden Taylor and the football team are adapting to a new offensive playbook this summer.
Rachael Albrecht and the field hockey team start the season with summer exercises.
