Tuesday, April 16, 2024
INTERCEPTION: Senior Mikel Scott is expressive as he nabs an interception during sports specific training.
MIGHTY MAN: Athletes like Reece Hunt show up with determination and a fiery attitude.
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Junior Kalynn Burrell works on her form during weight training.
TOP SGT: Retired Marine 1SGT Johnny Rositas' background makes him the perfect coordinator for Granbury's strength and conditioning program. Rositas is also a MCJROTC instructor for Granbury High School and an assistant football coach.
It’s 6:45 a.m. on a Monday at Pirate Stadium in Granbury and the sun is trying to break past a thick, low-lying layer of clouds as student-athletes make their way onto Johnny Perkins Field.
The morning air isn’t cool anymore. It would almost be – if the wind would blow just a little.
“Break off into your lines,” coach Johnny Rositas calls out.
The athletes hit their marks, and so does an angry sun. It is another hot day in Texas.
As a retired Marine 1SGT, current assistant football coach, and Marine Corps JROTC instructor, Rositas has been a mainstay of summer workouts and had been a part-time employee of a company hired by Granbury to guide its athletes.
That changed three years ago when head football coach Chad Zschiesche launched the idea of Granbury coaches conducting the workouts themselves. The move dovetailed nicely with the University Interscholastic League loosening its rules for summer workouts and sports-specific training.
“When we decided to take over our strength and conditioning during the summer, it was about developing relationships between athletes and coaches,” Zschisesche said. “I wanted to expose our coaches that normally worked with boys to work with girls and vice versa.”
With Rositas in place, Granbury has all the experience it needs to conduct workouts for hundreds of athletes. He has been supported by co-assistant coordinators Leah Haley and Greg Belleau and a weekly rotation of 10-15 coaches to run stations.
The idea is to lay the foundation and building blocks for the Pirate Nation as a whole.
“We wanted our athletes and coaches to support each other no matter what sport they are playing,” Zschisesche said. “Our goal was to see players in the stands cheering for each other. We wanted to develop that type of culture.
Sports-specific training is still relatively new in Texas, with the UIL giving its nod to the concept three years ago. Strength and conditioning in Granbury have 10-15 coaches pacing the athletes and showing them the correct form for weightlifting and other improvement exercises.
In the past athletes were allowed to work out, but sports equipment like softballs or footballs were not allowed as part of the workouts.
Now players can complete their summer workouts and break themselves down into smaller various sports groups to work on individual skills.
“We don’t cut corners, and we do cheer on the efforts of our fellow athletes,” coach Belleau said. “This is about integrity out here and doing the right thing.”
There is more than the building of muscles and skills going on here.
“We want our athletes to have a bond,” coach Haley said. “So they know we are building the Pirate Nation together.”
It’s a long summer, which presents challenges for Rositas when it comes to keeping things fresh. Breaking down the athletes into smaller groups allows them to compete against each other in drills and contests.
“It’s all about little tiny steps and the building blocks at first,” Rositas said. “Then we progress to techniques, and that building up continues at all skill levels.”
russell@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 231
