All Benton County high schools; Lincoln, Cole Camp and Warsaw athletic teams lift weights early in the morning during summer months.
Randy Morrow is credited with rejuvenating the weightlifting program at Warsaw and the success of their football program encouraged other schools to follow suit.
Years ago, the thought was that basketball players didn't need to lift weights. That philosophy has now changed for all sports.
Lincoln football head coach Brad Drehle is a huge believer that a good weight program cuts down on injuries. He credits the success of his former Blair Oaks football team, where he coached for years, to a strong weight program. Their football players and wrestlers looked like they were carved out of granite.
Coach Drehle is looking forward to the completion of the Cardinals' new weight room at Lincoln so the boys can move into a bigger and better facility.
Coach Drehle also encourages his players to drink plenty of water to keep from being dehydrated in the summer months.
Cole Camp football and basketball head coach, as well at athletic director Kevin Shearer commented, "We do weights in the morning to get our kids out of bed and to work."
He went on to say, "You cant' be successful in high school sports without a weight program."
Strength and conditioning will especially be a big factor for Shearer's football team as he expects to go back to his favorite style of play this season which is to run the ball and to play smash-mouth football.
It is a different time as the schools now offer weight classes all year long.
Tyler Burke has a weights class at Lincoln and Josh Rodriguez has taken over Cole Camp's weight program. Multiple coaches, including Justin Wisdom, Cody Morgan and Ryan Boyer all instruct weights classes at Warsaw.
We at the BCE wish all of the kids in Benton County a safe and prosperous summer and look forward to seeing them all on the fields and courts very soon.
