High school teams open practice for fall sports

Practice is a progression of skills in any sport.

For Julie Brandmeyer and the Saxony Lutheran volleyball team it is that and much more.

"Practice is an entire season planned out for our team," Brandmeyer said. "We're going to look at practice as a way to gauge where we are at, what we need to work on to get better and how we progress our skills."

The Crusaders held their first full day of practice at Saxony High School on Monday.

Monday marked the first day of practice for fall sports teams -- including volleyball, football, boys swimming and diving, girls golf, girls tennis, boys and girls cross country, boys soccer and softball -- under the Missouri State High School Activities Association guidelines.

Brandmeyer is entering her first year as coach of the Crusaders. She spent the previous two years as the coach at Jackson High School.

"I'm learning from them, and they're learning from me every day," Brandmeyer said. "The biggest challenge for any team is to get everybody on board and buy into the system, but so far they're doing a great job, and I'm really proud of them."

The Crusaders worked on ball control, passing and setting skills in Monday's practice.

"We like to post our practice plan, that way there are no surprises for the girls," Brandmeyer said. "They understand the process and the daily progression of skills, which let's me relay the message of what they need to work on a lot easier."

Conditioning, skill work and mental preparation are important parts of practice in any sport.

Brandmeyer said conditioning will become more important as the season progresses and skill work will be a priority, but right now, mental preparation is the focus in practice for the Crusaders.

"Right from the start we're going to have classroom sessions and really test their volleyball IQ," Brandmeyer said. "It's a good way to set goals, work on communication, our schemes on offense and defense and really just everything to get their minds right before they step on that court."

The Crusaders already have one goal in mind -- winning a district championship.

"I think we're going to be a pretty successful team in Southeast Missouri," Brandmeyer said. "We're going to have a winning record, and I also think we're going to contend for a district championship. That's not just my feeling though, it's the point everyone wants to get to."

Saxony has never won a district championship in volleyball. The Crusaders lost to Woodland in three sets in a semifinal of the Class 2 District 2 tournament last season.

Saxony has five players returning from last year's squad. Seniors Abigail Bergman and Nichole Mobley were voted as captains by their team during the summer.

Brandmeyer said having Bergman and Mobley makes her job a lot easier.

"Even when I'm not watching practice closely, like right now, I can hear our captains communicating over everyone else," Brandmeyer said. "They really demonstrate what it means to be a good captain and that will bode well for us in practice and when game time rolls in."

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.comThe Central football team gears up for the season during its first practice of the year on Monday.

The Central football team also held their first practice on Monday, but the Tigers are still in need of new captains.

The team lost 17 members to graduation after a successful 2013 campaign.

Central reached the Class 4 state semifinals before being routed by three-time defending state champion Webb City.

"We're not concerned about that at this point," Central coach Nathan Norman said about last year's team. "This is a new team that has a lot to prove. We won't set captains yet because it's too early to see who will step up and take care of business."

Norman said he told his players that they will have to build on the success of last year rather than settling for a trip to the semifinals.

"I think it helps with our confidence," Norman said. "To go that far is a big feat, but you can't just settle for that and say, 'We'll make it back this year no problem.' You have to work hard to get there and we can, but it has to start right now."

Norman said the majority of his skill position players are returning from last year's team, although quarterback Dennis Vinson graduated. Chaffee transfer Peyton Montgomery was on the field for practice Monday, but Norman isn't prepared to name him the starting quarterback yet.

"If I had to evaluate the groups right now I would have to say that our skill positions are a little bit ahead of the line simply because they don't have the necessary experience," Norman said.

Norman said his lines, which experienced the most turnover, would be ready by the start of the season on Aug. 22.

"We'll be fine on the line of scrimmage, it's just going to take a little bit of time," Norman said. "And we're trying to work on that development right now. We've got a good group and they'll be working hard to get it done."

Norman has considered one of those linemen, T.J. Pearson, and linebacker Jordan Franklin to be leaders for Central all summer.

"They do exactly what you ask them to do without complaint," Norman said. "But most importantly they're great examples of how to lead on and off the field. They really do lead by example."

A major goal at Central is to win, but Norman said there are other more important goals to set and work on in practice.

"I'm not sure how other teams set their goals, but for us we want to win our position and set and achieve our own personal goals," Norman said. "We want them to be better citizens. It's not just about football. We want to teach them dedication and hard work. We know by experience that if we're doing those things, we're going to be better on the field."

Film sessions will be an important part of Central's practices as the season moves forward, but for now Norman wants his team to be in shape.

"We've had workouts all summer, so these guys should be in shape, but if they're not I can assure you, we'll be getting them in football shape," Norman said.

During the first half of practice, defense was the primary focus. The Tigers broke up into defensive positions and worked on drills, then got back together as a team to run plays.

The second half of practice was offensive oriented. The Tigers ran a seven-on-seven drill with quarterbacks, receivers and running backs, then added the line to the mix and ran a succession of plays.

Norman said was pleased with what he saw.

"It really doesn't look or feel like the first day of practice to be honest," Norman said. "These guys looked ready to play today and hungry to win. That really excites me."