BAKER — If the Baker School football team’s practice Monday is any indication of things to come Gator opponents have reason to be afraid, very afraid.
After working two hours on the field, the team adjourned to the weight room, where it spent another 30 minutes of fast-paced conditioning. The session ended with each player doing five sets of 15 overhead squats combined with five 400-yard runs.
The warp speed practice is indicative of what Coach Matt Brunson believes the Gators will do on the field this fall as they run a hurry up, spread offense.
“I’m sure there are some people on our schedule that still have doubts about what we are going to do offensively,” Brunson said. “But I really believe with the conditioning level we are in, if we can get everything set up and play with the tempo I think we can, there is no way teams we play can simulate what we are going to do to them during the week.”
Brunson said the whole idea was to simulate game speed on the field and in the weight room.
“We try to play a half on the field and we try to play at least the third quarter in the weight room, which is a 12-minute quarter,” he said. “We try to get our strength work in. And we try to do some kind of high intensity conditioning type deal where we alternate some running with some weight lifting and simulate at least another 12 minute period.
“For these guys go as hard as they do it’s incredible.”
Junior center Bubba Ellis is all for the new offense.
“I think condition wise we are going to be able to outrun the other team,” he said. “We will just run our plays a lot faster than they do.”
Brunson said the new offense is in place, but he admits there is still work to do as the team puts on the shoulder pads Thursday and full gear Monday.
“Our guys know what to do,” Brunson said. “We’ve just got to get in pads and make sure our offensive pad level and pass protection is sound, and that we are coming off at a good level.”
Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gators set to go at warp speed