After coming off one of the high school’s best seasons in 31
years, Coach Scott Bless and the Cougars look to improve their 8-4 mark from a
season ago. The IHSAA has done a great job readjusting the regulations for
summer workouts over the last few years, and for coach Bless, among other
coaches, it had allowed for better preparation heading into two-a-days.
“Summers are a real important time for us,” said Bless, “we
do a little bit of everything, building their bodies, so first thing this
morning we came in and hit the weight room, then we condition their bodies, and
then it also gives a chance, with the IHSAA rules of the summer, to get us
ready a little bit football wise. Spend some time doing a little bit of
technique work, and little time starting to install our offense and defense,
getting good quality reps. This is the time of year for us to see who will fill
in some spots vacated by seniors, and who’s going to challenge some of the
returning guys.”
Among the returning guys, senior running back D’Angelo Roberts,
will be back to top his junior season where he ran for 2,604 yards on 380 attempts
and 32 touchdowns. Roberts has high expectations this year, but so does the man
under center, senior quarterback Jake Tieken, who is looking to improve his
throwing game after a season where he threw for 939 yards.
The anticipation for the 2010 Indiana High School Football
season is growing all across the state, but for Bless, he’s “looking forward to
competition.” Football is very different from a lot of sports, because it in
the state of Indiana,
you can not compete throughout the year. A majority of the other sports allow
for competition of some sort throughout the year, whereas football is limited
to competition for about 16 weeks during the fall. In reference to competition,
“that is why we do this,” said Bless, “we’re not afforded the opportunity to
play (year round), we don’t get that competition throughout the year, they get
to play and we have to work.”
For Bless, the offseason is full of work, but the real payoff
comes on Friday nights in the fall, when all the offseason work a preparation
begins to fall into place. “Our guys have been working hard, so you always look
forward to that point in time, where they get to start putting it on the line,
and see what their hard work’s earned them.”
The Cougars are looking sharp heading into the 2010 Indiana
High School Football season. Coach Bless will have them in the best position to
make a run come August 20th, the opening night for the 2010 Indiana
High School Football season. Conference Indiana has been improving more and
more every year, and Bless as well as his team has September 10th on
their calendar, as they faceoff against cross town rival Bloomington South.
Be sure to check back to MyIndianaFootballl.com for more on
their Summer Kickoff Tour, and more from Indiana High School Football coaches
and players.
Can’t get enough Indiana High School Football? Be sure to
join MyIndianaFootball.com, and apply for daily updates to keep you in the
loop. CLICK
HERE TO JOIN NOW!
Do you have a similar story you would like to share on
MyIndianaFootball.com? E-Mail Casey.Bolsega@Colts.NFL.com
with story details.
Do you have what it takes to be a moderator? If so fill out
a moderator request for your school. Click here
now, and check “I want to be a moderator” at the bottom of the form.
