Prepping for the pigskin
Five years ago the PIAA adopted a policy that said all high school football players must go through a five-day heat acclimation period before regular practices.
The week is less about the perspiration and more about the preparation.
Sure, the players work up a healthy sweat, but Butler County coaches have found the week to be more beneficial for many other reasons.
“I kind of look at it like the beginning of football camp,” said Seneca Valley coach Ron Butschle, who is in the second year of his second stint as the Raiders' head football coach. “There's no contact, but you wear helmets and shoulder pads. It's really an extension of what we did all summer.
“It's kind of like dipping your toe into the pool,” he added. “It's good because you get everyone together with no contact for a week before you start banging each other around next week.”
Read Wednesday's Butler Eagle to learn how coaches each use the week to prep for the season.
