From practicing six weeks straight from 7 a.m. – noon daily, the Panthers are ready to tackle Friday Night Lights tonight. The hours practicing, provides them with a positive tradition and strengthful mindset to keep them going.
“We have something called ‘The Code’ which means competitiveness, toughness, and discipline. We mainly focus on this before each game,” senior outside linebacker Robert Asay said.
SAC Camp is a highly demanding summer program that improves the players speed, flexibility, agility, and physical demand. Although it’s a gruesome six weeks that’s where the bond begins between the sweat, aches, and cramps. Once SAC Camp ends that’s where the fun kicks in with bowling alley nights, the constant hang outs, and lastly, the motivational inspirations.
“There will be one day after SAC camp ends where all the football players just workout with no coaches and just bond with each other.” junior middle linebacker Zack Ruysenaars said. Once we finish we all go out to eat and hangout with each other.”
Besides only working out and preparing for football games, they also keep a tradition of bowling alive within their brotherhood.
“We pick a day where the entire team goes bowling and where we just connect with each other, especially with our newer members,” senior long snapper Treyton Payne said.
The home opener game is the first moment where crazed fans, parents, and the community come together to cheer, create memories, and motivate the team.
“We go to the locker room and we do the chant ‘Oak’em’, where we yell ‘Oak’em, Oak’em, and on the last ‘Oak’em’ we get into an athletic position and just scream and yell to get our nerves out,” Payne said.
Along with the brotherhood created, adrenaline and bright stadium lights attract players and are the reason they endure rigorous workouts.
“The main reason I stayed in football is because it’s a fun way to get your emotions out, being at the games underneath those Friday Night Lights is a different feeling. It’s an experience that you’ll never forget,” Asay said.
The relationships that they build between practices, football games, and hangout, doesn’t only help them rely on each other but it provides them with a positive relationship on the field.
“It makes our connections on the field stronger, from understanding play calls, to throwing the ball to the wide receivers in space.” senior wide receiver Finn Morvan said. “The relationships built by practice creates better connections.”
Whatever the outcome, ‘The Code’ keeps the teammates grounded and thinking themselves and what they can bring, but for their brothers, too.
