IN FIRST PERSON: JUSTIN WELLS

(IN FIRST PERSON: Cape Central senior lineman recounts changing role, final season and desire to win.)

At 2 a.m. on August 6th, I woke with a chilled sweat and my eyes wide open. I realized that the first football practice of the season started in five hours.

I had to make myself fall asleep again because of the hard day ahead of me.

Cape Central high school practices are unlike any other schools in our area. We started practice at 8 a.m. and ended around 2 p.m.

The first morning is always the hardest. We had a team conditioning test where we were required to sprint 10 40-yard dashes. The times were taken from all 10, and we had to have a time on each sprint that was an average of 90 percent or better of our first one.

Everyone who made "Dirty Thirty", which was 30 hours or more of weightlifting time during the summer, passed his conditioning test (including myself). After the conditioning, we received an hour and a half break. This time included an hour of "chalk talk" where we went over plays on the chalkboard in an air conditioned class room. Then we were allowed 30 minutes for lunch. We hit the field again around noon, and practiced till 2:30 p.m.

After practice I returned home and rested on my bed for around four hours, waking just in time for dinner. The rest of the week was similar to the first day, minus the conditioning test. This was replaced by two-hour morning practices.

A changing role

It's different being on the field this year as a senior.

No longer can I look around and see the leaders I've known. I now have to become one.

It almost feels empty without some of the players I've come to respect and admire as teammates. I cannot believe how fast my high school football career has passed.

One more year of glory and heartache.

I know only around half of the sophomores' names. I sometimes feel as if I'm on a strange team. But it is my senior year, and I plan to become a leader for the underclassmen. It's a good feeling to have someone younger look up to you, the same way I looked up to those who came before me.

A different team

This year's football team will be quite different than last year's team. We will have more than half our starting players going both ways, playing an offensive and defensive position. This will require a lot more determination and sacrifice on our part than last year.

I am not concerned with our players going both ways. We are well-conditioned athletes and I have no doubt we have the energy and endurance to complete 48 minutes of two-way football.

I am concerned with the depth of our roster, though.

Some underclassmen will have to step up when they are needed this season and show that they're capable of playing varsity football. The only spots that have a real competition going on are quarterback, running back, and one or two of the receiver positions. At quarterback, Mitch Craft and Jay Ruark are neck-and-neck for the position.

The running back spot is a heated battle between Scott City transfer Marcus Klund and Cape Central native Monroe Hicks. The competition will help the team by ensuring two great athletes at both positions.

This season should be a follow up to the Cinderella story last year. We came from a 1-9 record my sophomore year, to a 7-5 record last year where we went on to become district champions. Coach Brookins handed out T-shirts to my class that had a slogan of "worst to first" on them, in recognition of our accomplishments. We promptly burned the shirts as a symbol that we did not want to go from worst to first again.

We are on top now.

We are the team to beat.