Crack of pads, warmth of turf signal start of high school football around Westmoreland County

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, August 12, 2024 | 5:44 PM

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As a two-time defending WPIAL and PIAA champion, Belle Vernon football must have opened full-contact training camp Monday morning with a sense of entitlement, right?

“No,” running back Kole Doppelheuer said. “We came here all business. We didn’t talk about the past. We want to use the same exact recipe, the nitty gritty. But we’re moving forward.”

The Leopards could have taken liberties after getting fit for championship rings that were heavier than the last ones. But, instead, they cracked pads with the same force of a team that didn’t win a game last year. It’s a full reset for another talented team.

“The first day of hitting used to be a much bigger deal, but, nowadays, you have 70 percent of your stuff in already by the time this week rolls around,” Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert said. “Today is about preaching expectations. By Wednesday, everyone is going to be tired, sore and worn out. Who is going to work a little harder without showing any of that?”

Humbert had his camp starter kit ready: the straw hat, the fanny pack filled with Sharpie markers, hand sanitizer and his cellphone, and his Kane shoes for another day at “The Beach,” James Weir Stadium.

He let his players tee off early with their 10-yard-square hitting drill.

Belle Vernon will move up to Class 4A after carving its name into the 3A bench, following suit with several other local teams that will play in new classifications.

Those teams also opened camp Monday with a two-a-day practice schedule, some earlier than others.

Improved Latrobe, saddled with high expectations as it chases a third straight WPIAL playoff appearance and prepares to compete in 5A, came out like gangbusters. The Wildcats opened with intense Oklahoma drills to gauge toughness and set the tone.

Practice began at 6 a.m. (The sun came up at 6:26), and the rubber pellets were flying on the turf at Rossi Field.

“We’ve gotten used to (the early practices),” Latrobe lineman Cody Krall said. “I get up at 3 a.m. for fishing trips, so this isn’t too bad. We kind of like it.”

Teammate Braden Bronson was asked what he would usually be doing at 6 a.m.

“Sleeping,” he said. “We loved coming out and hitting right away like that.”

Hempfield and Norwin are back in Class 6A after two years in 5A.

“For some reason, for the first day of training camp there is also that chill in the air,” Hempfield coach Nick Keefer said. “It felt like camp this morning from the minute I walked out of the house at 6:30.”

Keefer greeted the players with a 4-on-4 tackle drill the team calls “hoot and holler.”

Norwin coach Mike Brown said the atmosphere was different around campus.

The Knights had afternoon and night practices.

Band camp also was in session nearby.

“Hearing the band practicing in the background made it feel like game night,” Brown said.

Other local movers are Derry and Yough, both of which go from 2A to 3A.

The start of camp never gets old for coaches who once played at their alma mater.

“The pads were popping this morning on Cougar Mountain,” Yough coach Ben Hoffer said.

John Ruane, the coach at Penn-Trafford, also felt a collective release with his players as the sound of pads clapping rang true.

“The first big collision in our inside-run drill is something we haven’t seen since last November,” Ruane said. “It got everyone excited, and you knew it was football season.”

Southmoreland also started with Oklahoma drills.

“Intensity shot right up,” Scotties coach Tim Bukowski said. “No more football in shorts. It’s live.”

Greensburg Salem second-year coach Ty George said the energy at his camp opener was palpable.

He said previously that players and coaches have butterflies the night before contact camp, which pales in comparison to heat acclimation week where helmets and pads are only a dress rehearsal.

“Kids flying around,” George said. “Kids getting excited after the first hit or breaking a tackle for a long run or hit behind the line of scrimmage. … Can’t beat it.”

Young players got their feet wet at Ligonier Valley camp. So did their veteran coach, Roger Beitel, who opened his 21st season with the first official practice.

The morning dew was heavy on the natural grass at the Rams’ practice field.

“I took two steps on to the practice field, and my shoes got wet,” Beitel said. “It was 55 degrees in the Ligonier Valley this morning. I started practice with a sweatshirt on and wet feet. As soon as my feet got wet, I thought, ‘Ok, here we go!’

“I have another opportunity to coach the best sport on the planet.”

At Jeannette, coach Tom Paulone literally felt the warmth of a new season at McKee Stadium.

”The field remains shaded for the first 20 to 30 minutes of an 8 a.m. practice,” Paulone said. “To see the sun come over the hill and press box makes you feel grateful. The practice is then sunny, and the turf begins to heat up.

“The sun rises again, on Jeannette’s 124th year of high school football.”

Teams will scrimmage Saturday, and the season opens next Friday with Week Zero games.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Latrobe