Coach's Corner and QBC Blog

Football is a Year-Round Commitment

Written by Valpo Vikings QBC | Apr 2, 2023 2:34:00 PM

Welcome to the Coaches Corner and QBC Blog.  We'll be putting up content here throughout the various seasons of the Valparaiso Vikings High School Football team.  In fact lets just dive right into exactly what those seasons are...

While we encourage multi-sport athletes, let's face it; Football is year-round for some of our student-athletes.

Off-Season

This is the part of the year that begins just after the State Championship (hopefully).  Our players that are involved with winter sports will usually break off and join those teams at this time.  The rest of the crew participates in what we call--- weight gain season.  Yes parents, this is when the grocery bill gets even BIGGER! 

The players will spend significant time in the weight room after school.  Our athletes are not only lifting, but they are also working on lateral speed, linear speed, agility and yoga for flexibility.

Pride point teams are created to keep them engaged during the off-season as well.

Pre-Season

The pre-season starts around the time that students return from spring break and Limited Contact Practices begin.  During this time of year we need to be flexible because mother nature often has a tendency to interrupt our practice schedule.

After school dismisses for summer break is when we start preparing for our contact days, including scrimmages against other schools.

We complete a number of community service projects in the spring, more on that in a different post.  Our fundraising efforts for the season usually occurs during the pre-season with discount card sales beginning.  The Valpo Vikings Quarterback Club holds its annual fundraiser in the pre-season as well, which is the biggest fundraiser of the year for VHS football.

Juniors heading into their senior year, are often going to college camps and recruiting events.  As a team we go to our own camp at Olivet Nazarene.

Pro-Tip: Be sure to take advantage of the moratorium week and schedule a family vacation then... because soon its going to be eat-sleep-football, then eat some more.

Season

The season typically starts in Late July/Early August.  Film/Lift/Practice is the football schedule until school begins, but there's also eat/sleep/eat in between, so prepare your grocery budget accordingly ;)

Our first competitions are in mid-August (depending upon the academic calendar) This is where all of that hard work starts to show in the form of Friday night Wins!

The team gets into their in-season rhythm with the right recipe of film, lifting, practices, and you guessed it... eating!  Consistency is key, and discipline is a necessity.  

This is especially true when it comes to academics.  Our athletes are not given any special treatment when it comes to their grades, so it is important to follow up with your student and make sure that they are succeeding in the classroom. 

Post-Season

The season is over... now here's where the real fun begins.  If this year is anything like the 2022 season, post-season play keeps your on the edge of your seat.

The practice schedule cadence remains the same during the post season so that we can prep for competitions.  Speaking of game-day here's what the post season looks like:

  • Sectionals Game 1
  • Sectional Championship
  • Regional Championship
  • Semi-State Championship
  • State Championship

This is a "Win or Go Home" format and our goal of course is to make it to and win the State Championship, just like we did in 2022.   2022 State Final Recap

As you can see, Football goes year-round in Valparaiso!  They train to win on and off of the field. This is how we instill great habits, grit and perseverance into our student-athletes.  

 

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Thanks for reading!