Photo By Master Sgt. Jon Holmes | Coach Rich Hansen, the athletic coach and head football coach for St. Peter’s...... read more read more
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FULLERTON, Calif. - It’s a new year with new teams and new challenges, but that hasn’t stopped Team East from setting their sights on the Semper Fi All-American Bowl Championship title set to be decided Sunday, Jan. 4, at The StubHub Center in Carson, California.
It’s been a lot of work if the sweat pouring from the players is any indication. Their days are filled with drills, physical training and a litany of new terms and vocabulary as Team East overcomes the difficulties of gelling as a team.
“Learning the plays and terms is a big challenge,” said Gage Cervenka, a defensive tackle from Emerald High School in Greenwood, S.C. “We all have to get on the same page and speak the same language. That’s what’s gonna get us to the top.”
That – and repetition.
“Monday – Monday – Hike!”
“Stop,” said Rich Hansen, head coach for Team East. “You’re not moving fast enough. You got to cut and get out there.”
The team resets and runs through the play again. And again. And again. After a fourth run through, the team sets up for a new play and starts over.
It’s frustrating for the players, but something every team goes through.
“Everyone goes through this funk,” said Hasen, who is the head coach and athletic director at St. Peters Preparatory School in Jersey City, N.J. “That isn’t the issue. It’s how you get through it. Both teams are having this issue so how do you do it better?”
For the athletes, the answer is dedication.
“It’s been tough work,” said Masson Zimmerman, a center from Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse, Ohio. “I’m learning a new offensive, new style of blocking – just takes practice.”
As the team ends their last training day before the big game, all they can do is have faith in their team and confidence in the skills they’ve learned.
“I’m really happy with their effort,” Hansen said. “We are getting a lot out of them on the field. We just got to hope it’s enough.”
| Date Taken: | 01.02.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.02.2015 14:58 |
| Story ID: | 151319 |
| Location: | FULLERTON, CA, US |
| Hometown: | GREENWOOD, SC, US |
| Hometown: | JERSEY CITY, NJ, US |
| Hometown: | WHITEHOUSE, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 225 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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