By Daniela Paz

Every Friday night during the fall season, students, teachers and families gather around a green field to support the Loy Norrix football team. Players work hard during practices to perfect each play and to prepare themselves for a victory.

Once the season is over some athletes go on to other sports and stay in shape for the next season to come. However, there are some athletes that choose not to participate in any other extracurricular activities mainly to focus on football.

This group of athletes’ practice and train year around. They do anything from lifting weight to doing simple cardio workouts to keep themselves healthy and in shape.

Assistant Athletic Director and Strength and Conditioning Coach, Ameer Ismail, believes that it helps next year football players to be a better athlete in order to have a better season.

“To be faster, stronger, more explosive and bigger,” said Ismail. “That correlates to a better athletic performance.”

The football players train four times a week for about two hours each day.

Loy Norrix junior and varsity captain, Will Aeschbacher, trains to get better to hopefully proceed to play at a college level.

“[Training] makes me a stronger athlete in and off the season and prevents me from gaining weight,” said Aeschbacher. “It makes me a stronger person and athlete, [it] helps me get out the line faster.”

To some, football isn’t a one-season sport. They weight train to stay in shape and work hard in order to improve their needed skills. All this leads to having a better, bigger and stronger team.