Westmoreland football coaches pleased with Day 1 work

By: Paul Schofield
Monday, August 14, 2023 | 8:17 PM

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Uneventful but productive is how four high school football coaches described the state of football practice Monday.

While Latrobe was able to avoid the heavy rains that fell during Day 1, the others said rain is something they could face during the season.

Latrobe begins practice at 6:15 a.m., and it was done by 1 p.m. by design.

“That was how we had this week and last week scheduled,” Latrobe second-year coach Ron Prady said. “We were able to dodge the rain. I’m sure other teams had to deal with the rain.”

The Wildcats are coming off a season when they finished 7-5 overall and won a playoff game for the first time since 1968, a 19-7 victory over Kiski Area at Forbes Field.

Prady said things and attitudes have changed around the program. The roster almost has doubled since he arrived two years ago. When he took over there were 40 players. Last year there were 62, and this season Prady greeted 75.

“The players are more confident and have set higher expectations,” Prady said. “You hope last year’s success carries over. It will for the players that played, but mainly the players want to do a little bit better.”

Prady said practice started with defense.

“It created a lot of excitement because we were able to crack the pads,” Prady said. “It got the players pumped up.”

First-year coaches Nick Keefer at Hempfield and Ty George at Greensburg Salem incorporated music into their practice.

“We did it in college,” George said. “We play different styles of music, and we have throwback Thursdays. It keeps it light, and it seems to pump up the players.”

Keefer added: “It brings up the energy. Zach (Keefer, Nick’s brother) and I have put together a playlist. It’s workout music. Don’t you like music to workout with?”

During practice some of the music blaring was AC/DC, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne and Guns N’ Roses.

“There is going to be noise during games, so it gets the players used to what will occur on Fridays,” Keefer said. “Things went well for the first day.

“We accomplished a lot in the morning when it was warm and dry. We had full contact, and the players were excited. The conditions weren’t ideal in the afternoon, but the players brought a lot of energy.”

George felt the day was pretty successful.

“We got a lot done,” George said. “The players were excited. The coaches were excited. It was energetic. The work in the offseason paid off.”

Jeannette coach Tommy Paulone Jr. had 26 players at practice, a high number compared with some recent summers.

“It went well,” Paulone said. “We have some young talent. We just need to find some linemen.

“We stayed on schedule despite the rain. It was a great opportunity to work in tough conditions. We went under center at times to run the offense. Weather is something you must deal with in Western Pa.”

Teams will practice this week for their first scrimmages Saturday. The season begins with Week Zero games Aug. 25.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg Salem, Hempfield