Tires, ropes and cones were set out on the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School practice field Monday afternoon, arrayed like an obstacle course. Near the shot put circle, a man alternated pulling two ends of a rope around a pole, testing their tautness. He smiled, satisfied. A whistle dangled from his neck.
Practice wouldn’t start for another hour, but MVRHS head football coach Don Herman said he prefers to be the first one out on the field. Returning from a two-year retirement from coaching following a hall of fame 28-year run, he said it’s like coming home.
“I feel like it’s right where I’m supposed to be,” he said, while walking briskly from station to station, frequently referring to a practice schedule to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.
He said Monday’s two hour and 15 minute Crossfit-based practice would mostly focus on strength training, so there would be more flipping tires than tossing pigskins. In fact, there weren’t any footballs on the field. Mr. Herman said it’s because the basics come first.
“Everyone is learning my system so I’m keeping it simple,” he said. “My philosophy is based on fundamentals, discipline, conditioning and having fun. Of course, the more you win, the more fun you have.”
Mr. Herman is no stranger to winning, having done it 220 times over his 28 years of coaching. Winning has been far less common in the two seasons since he retired in 2015. Instead, disciplinary issues and injuries became the story, culminating in the team canceling the Island Cup game last year.
In June, a search committee unanimously selected Mr. Herman to return as head coach. Mr. Herman said he gladly accepted, calling the team “his baby.”
Three practices in, he said the challenge is to instill a winning mentality in the players again, especially for several seniors who were freshmen during his last season.
On the field, the team of 40 boys and one girl were putting on purple jerseys and strapping on helmets. Pads would have to wait until Thursday. Fundamentals first.
“We’ve got the good athletes, whether or not that translates into good football players is still unknown,” Mr. Herman said, while walking toward the team. Players walked up to hand Mr. Herman their required student registrations. One of them had a short, scruffy beard.
“You can come back tomorrow after you shave this,” Mr. Herman told him. The rule is part of a contract Mr. Herman has each player and their parents sign. No drugs, no alcohol, no tobacco and no facial hair. Well, with one exception.
“They can have a mustache,” he said, grinning under his own large mustache.
Mr. Herman blew his whistle and the team headed to the end zone for a warmup run. Seven assistant coaches guided the team through a series of stretches and sprints to shake off any lingering summer break stiffness. During a session of lunges, an assistant coach instilled some tough love.
“You had a three-day weekend,” he shouted. “Saturday night, Sunday and this morning!”
After the warm up, Mr. Herman blew his whistle again and called for the team to huddle up. The group hustled over to him and took a knee. The field became silent as Mr. Herman began his pep talk, the players hanging on his every word.
“Every single day we need to be better at the end of practice than when we started,” he said. “One thing you don’t have yet is a winning attitude. Losing is easy, winning is hard.”
Mr. Herman leaned in closer and put his hands on his hips.
“We need to get the Vineyard feared again, and it starts with you guys,” he said. “Let’s go to work!”
A loud clap, a loud cheer and the team rushed back to their positions. In less than three weeks, they’ll take on Atlantis High Charter School in the first game of the season. But first, there are tires to flip, ropes to pull and helmets to adjust. Oh, and lots of jumping jacks.
Mr. Herman watched proudly, hardly containing a smile.
Comments
Comment policy »