'Welcome to the Jungle'

(Editor's note: The Highland County Press was granted full access to the Paint Valley football two-a-day practices. The HCP would like to thank PV head coach Pete Hollon, the coaching staff, and the players for the access.)

     BAINBRIDGE — Two-a-days are a rite of passage for any athlete to play high school football.
     The heat of two-a-days in early August allow players to soak in the heat and lights for 10 weeks, each Friday night.
     But before Friday nights full of bands and fans in the stand, there was hard work to be done.
     The whistle blew, which meant it was the start of another two-a-day practice with full pads.
     Paint Valley defensive coordinator Evan Gallaugher shouted to the Bearcats, "Fast-paced! High Intensity! With Passion! Have fun with it."
      The sun was hiding in the clouds for the majority of the time, but the summer heat was still stirring in the air with temperatures in the high 80s on a Friday three weeks before the Bearcats host New Miami at George Knisley Field.
      As one player said, while locking arms with teammates and coaches: "We bust our (butts) on this field, to win games on that field (slightly looking over to GNF)."
     Practicing twice a day proves two points in football: 1. Football is a game of details; and 2. Football is a team sport.
      The Bearcats go through a very detailed and timely practice, split into three segments, which allow their players to experience the game of football in a variety of ways.
     But with the details of the game that is played in front of hundreds of fans each Friday for 10 weeks, most of the work takes place without a spectator in sight.
     The details of drills used in individual offensive and defensive practices (along with special teams) could mean the difference of playing in Week 11 or preparing for basketball season.
     "You have to love what you are doing," Paint Valley head coach Pete Hollon said when expressing the importance of two-a-days.
     The two-a-day gains momentum after the Bearcats finish their film study and stretches. A defensive drill with linebackers, lineman and cornerbacks allow players a chance to scoop a bouncing football and return it for a touchdown.
     "Scoop! Score! Be athletic!"
     As Gallaugher shouts words of encouragement to player in the scooping drill, other Bearcats work on other drills, full of reputation.
     But the drills being coached by Dave Mahaffey, Bobby Williams, Mike Reed, Cory Hefner, Frank Nunziato and Hollon all come back to one common denominator: details.
     As the practice continued, the sun started to peek out of the clouds as the linebackers were praised for doing a beautiful job in their individual practice.
     Hard work, details and winning have been mixed together since the school began a football program in 1959.
     Since that first season, the Bearcats have collected nine Scioto Valley Conference championships, with seven undefeated seasons. In that same time frame, Paint Valley has reached the state playoffs seven times, with their first trip in 1985, and its most recent trip came in 2003.
     This season, the black-and-gold have 19 returning lettermen, with team captains Garett Tyree, Tyler Wagoner, Nolan Taylor and Brenan Dove.
     Of the 153 male student population, just 39 are listed on the football roster.
     "This right here is about building bonds and chemistry within a team," Hollon said. "These are the days the kids will look back on and remember. It starts with a hell week in July, and even then we have a full roster.
     "This isn't easy. The practices are fast-paced. We make sure the kids get plenty of water. Sometimes this is more about the journey than the end result."
     With the individual defensive practices completed, it was now time for the offense to make their mark in the practice.
     The Bearcats enter the season with a new starting quarterback in Eli Barker, as the junior will take his turn leading PV under center.
     At the far end of the practice field, the quarterbacks work on the fine details of the position, knowing each detail becomes more important with PV having 22 days (at the time of the practice) until the kickoff of the season.
     Barker, along with the younger QBs, learned of new changes involving precise steps and movements on a hand off, going back to the fine detail of football. For example, the QBs were taught where to put their face mask (where to look) to sell fakes to linebackers.
     As the running backs enter the domain of the QB, at the far end of the football practice field, formations and techniques are run in a one or two player backfield, while working on the proper mechanics in play-action situations.
     In the Bearcats' locker room, where you can hear loud, ear-bleeding rap and rock music, the dry erase board has a sign saying in bold letters, reading "SUCCESS: Always looks easy to those who weren't around when it was being earned."
     The statement rings true when grunting noises and frustration punches to the ground come from the lineman practice.
     After all the individual drills were finished, it was time for a two-minute offensive practice.
     Urgency increased from drills and the importance of all the details from the individual practices came to fruition.
     Coaches yelled out play calls.
     Coach Hollon shouted "CLOCK! CLOCK! CLOCK!"
     Whistles echoed and players took orders.
     The rushed pace to paydirt kept players on their toes. Though the offensive line has no blockers in front of them, they still have to perfect their footwork in pass protection, or make sure they took the right path in a running play.
     With more numbers being yelled standing for specific play for the Bearcat offense to run.
     Even Barker had to kill the clock by spiking the football.
     As the drill came to an end, the linemen had to run up to the line, as the coaches screamed: "THREE! TWO! ONE!"
     The ball was snapped and a coach yelled, "You must catch this!"
     The drill ends.
     Time for players to catch their breath.
     But that was just one practice, and the six hours scheduled for practices meant another one was on the way.
     After a break for dinner, the Bearcats took the short walk back to the practice field, put back on the shoulder pads, buckled up their chin straps, did some stretches and ran some sprints.
     It was back to work for the Bearcats.
     The details obtained in the first practice were in use in the evening practice.
     The quarterbacks perfected a fake to a running back, found an open receiver, showing the teamwork the coaches want to see in August.
     Linemen battled one another in o-line practice with players protecting a cone for 10 seconds. Up-downs went to the the offensive lineman who failed to protect the orange cone.
     After five-plus hours of football, hitting, pads cracking, sweating, spitting, running and grunting the Bearcat players still wanted one more play.
     The play would have to wait until the following two-a-day practice.
     In a circle where players locked arms, Coach Hollon told his team football wasn't for everyone. Senior Garett Tyree told his team they were a family.
     Hollon ended the practice by telling his players this is the best time of their life and enjoy it.
     "It is such a privilege to play football, especially here. A lot of the kids are from a small community, and this is all that they got," Hollon said. "I want this to be special. Paint Valley football is about pride."
     The Bearcats will host New Miami to open the regular season on Friday, Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at George Knisley Field.[[In-content Ad]]