t Team will break out pads for double session today
After a summer of camps, scrimmages and weight lifting, Wednesday marked the opening of football practice for Washington state high schools.
It just didn’t quite feel that way.
Instead the 80-degree afternoons typical of this time of year, South Kitsap coaches and players were greeted with a cool and rainy first day.
Running back Sean Allison and cornerback Sean Korf, this year’s co-captains, weren’t sure if that led to a sluggish start to begin practice, but both were disappointed with the start.
“We weren’t quite ready for the tempo coming up,” Korf said. “We wanted to hit the ground running, so us leaders were disappointed.”
Korf, who is regarded as one of the team’s strongest tacklers, said the early practices require an adjustment process.
Less than a month ago, the Wolves were suited up and hitting teams such as Decatur, Puyallup and Skyline at their team camp at the University of Puget Sound. But the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association requires the first three practices to be padless.
“We’re trying to get mentally ready,” Korf said. “We already are physical, so that will come natural once we get our pads and start hitting people. We’re trying to get down to the part which is the hardest.”
Coach D.J. Sigurdson didn’t disagree. The Wolves graduated 25 players off last year’s team that finished 7-4 and advanced to the Class 4A state playoffs for the first time since 2002.
He said the coaching staff needs to emphasize the importance of details to the team.
“We have a young feel to us,” the 12th-year coach said. “We need to improve on the maturity level.”
The turnaround is short for all fall sports. The Wolves will wear pads and also have their first two-a-day practices today.
South opens its season at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 against Stadium at Joe Knowles Field.
In the meantime, Allison said the Wolves need to work hard to prepare for those more physical practices.
“Everyone should be expected to get out there and work hard,” he said. “If you don’t go 100 percent now, you’re not going to be ready when we put the pads on.”
Both Allison and Korf are confident the Wolves will be ready not only be ready for two-a-days and Tuesday’s scrimmage, but the season ahead, too.
“We’re not the biggest bunch in the league,” Korf said. “We don’t have the size that some teams have, but we have the strength that most teams don’t have.”
