Michael Purvey ’17

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Last year the football team stopped having spring football. This received mixed reviews from both players and supporters of the team here at Strake Jesuit.

Spring football has always been like that snack that holds you over until you get your next meal, keeping the players from going crazy from spending nine months without playing real football. Getting rid of it not only throws off a rhythm, but it’s getting rid of a fun activity that everyone enjoyed.

The spring game was a great time for everyone involved. Not only did it give players a chance to play ball, but it gave supporters a chance to see what them would look like come August.

True spring football did have its drawbacks however. So much additional contact led to many injuries that lingered on into the real season. This obviously had a huge impact on the team, and kept us from achieving all that we could. This clearly had a lot to do with the decision.

Another big factor in the decision: we thrived without it! We were fortunate enough to have a very successful season, where we advanced to the third round of the playoffs. This means that we must have done something right, so we stuck with no spring football.

Despite this logic, many players were unhappy with the permanent change. “I just want to play football. Real football. These workouts are great, but it’s just not the same,” said one player.

Spring training consists of combination of training for agility, resistance, and conditioning. These combined with other football-oriented drills has helped with the little things necessary to win games. “I think that it helped us a lot last year, and it makes sense that we’re bringing it back again this year. It might not be as fun as real football, but it’s just as helpful,” said another player.

So there are many benefits along with multiple negatives that go along with dropping spring football for spring training. Is there really a correlation between that and winning? Will this trend continue? I guess we’re all just going to have to wait and see how the season goes.