Head Coach Dodd Lee and Picayune’s varsity football squad are hard at work preparing for the upcoming season. Even with the first game not scheduled until late August, Lee and his players are training in various ways five times a week. These training sessions include lifting, conditioning, and sometimes drills and throwing exercises. Lee said they begin the workouts at 8 a.m. five days a week, and then on Tuesdays and Thursdays the team can work on drills and passing plays in the afternoon.

“We are always trying to do things like run, lift and play seven on seven,” Lee said.

Seven on seven is essentially non-contact football and includes players of various skill positions.

One purpose of this is to get the quarterback and receivers reps to build chemistry with one another.

Lee and his staff ask that their athletes come to at least 20 workouts during the summer, and with the gym being open for about 65 workouts, it means the players don’t have an obligation to be there every day.

“We do it this way because I know some have to work and some have vacations,” Lee said.

When in the weight room, the athletes go through a variety of stations that target specific muscle groups.

“We stretch and then do agility work,” Lee said.

“Then we go to weight lifting, and core exercises.”

Lee said it’s a tough work out, and it takes some getting used to for the younger players. However, Lee knows that his athletes are willing to work in order to be competitive when the season begins.

“If they put in more effort than others, then they’ll be successful,” Lee said.

“We had some kids step up in key situations and because they worked hard and had a foundation we had early success.”

Lee and the staff will continue to work with the players as the summer goes on in hopes that they can get back to where Lee believes the team belongs; at the state final winning the state championship.