JUPITER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL – August 24, 2022 – The JCS Varsity Football team is a hardworking unit on and off the field.
The Jupiter Christian Eagles pride themselves on being a brotherhood and being connected as a team and more. The Eagles’ Football team has intense practices to better the team and improve their skills and take them to new levels so that the players may reach their full potential. Inside these practices is where the players will be evaluated by the coaches.
These coaches include Coach Baz Alfred, the head coach of this amazing football team, and the rest of his coaching team consisting of his brother Coach Bee the defensive coordinator, Coach Will the linebacker coach, Coach Nick the safety coach, Coach Kyle the O-line coach, and finally Coach V the D-line coach. Every single coach is needed and is a huge part of this team’s success.
The head coach, Baz Alfred, has an elite scheduled practice plan that develops the players skills. Practice starts after school at 3:00. When the bell rings you go straight to the locker room to change and put your gear on and then head onto the field before 3:15. When the players hit the field pre-practice starts where the players do small drills to get them warmed up and ready. After that the players split up into groups separating the skilled players and the O linemen and doing their own special drills to their expertise.
Following these drills, the team gathers in four lines to stretch and get hyped as a team and get ready for the rest of the practice and get focused. A typical Eagles’ practice is split up into three sections – offense, defense, and then special teams in that order. The Eagles head straight into their offensive period after they stretch and hit the gun by going over offensive plays and formations while going against a defense that runs plays that their opponents run in their upcoming games for better play recognition for the game to see it and call it out when it is presented.
Following up after this the Eagles head into their defensive period. Many players on the team say is the “most lit and hype part of practice.” Players like Taj Green say that, “Defense is the best part about practice, and I only come to practice for it.” Other players like Nolan Hollinger despise defense and say, “I would rather die than play defense.” Even though Mr. Hollinger hates the defensive period of practice and playing defense in general, the rest of the team or most of the team loves the defensive period and loves the hype around it and how every player feeds off each other’s energy.
The last period of practice is not too overwhelming. The Eagles go over special teams which they execute in such a satisfactory manner.
Even after these sessions and periods, there is one more part of practice, and according to Head Coach Baz Alfred, “It is my favorite part of practice because it shows us coaches the heart of our players and who is willing to give us their all while being drained and tired and who will not give up on the team and us coaches.”
This final part of practice is the conditioning part. From far off it may seem like a punishment to others. It could also seem that way to the players on the team, but it is a period that makes the team strong and a brotherhood. It teaches the players to not quit and to keep pushing and breaking their limits and holding others accountable. It shows that no matter how bad a thing is, you will live on and survive even if it is utter pain and agony, you can make it through it.
Finally, conditioning helps you realize one more important thing – in life you have people to help you and lift you up when you are down and that is the key of the JCS Varsity Football team.
