While many Marbleheaders are spending their summer tanning in the sun or swimming at the beach, Marblehead High School athletes are focused on preparing for their fall sports. Whether it’s taking morning runs six days a week or waking up at the crack of dawn to head to the weight room, these athletes are putting in the work to have a successful fall season.
Football
“We have been working all summer,” said Breydan Callahan, MHS junior and football player. “We’ve been attending these summer workouts at six in the morning. It gets us in shape, gets us strong and makes us better athletes.”
All summer, the football team has been waking up before most adults have had their first cup of coffee to lift weights and run at the high school. They also play an adaptation of football called 7v7 in the offseason, which allows the players to get more practice on the field. With all the grueling preseason work, hopes for the fall are very high.
“Obviously the expectation going into the season is to play at Gillette and win a ring,” said Colt Wales, MHS quarterback and team captain. “But we are trying to focus on one thing at a time. Whether it’s a single 7v7 game or a tournament game, we are putting our focus into the things that are straight ahead of us.”
Cross country
Down the street at Gatchells every morning, the MHS cross country team is also putting in the hours in hopes of a successful season.
“We are training here at Gatchells six days a week,” said captain Will Cerrutti. “We’re running like five to six miles almost every day. We’re also doing our strength and conditioning as well so nobody gets injured and we’re all feeling our best.”
The MHS cross country program has been very successful in the past few years and has captured several state titles. Runners hope that they can carry this momentum into next season and come out on top again.
“We’re super excited for the season.” said Nate Assa, another cross country captain. “We are looking to go super far this season, because we are going to have a lot of really fast runners.”
While practicing to succeed is important, so are the lessons that athletes are learning from their difficult summer practices.
“You can always push harder,” said Marri O’Connell, captain of the girls cross country team. “I’ve learned to push myself past my limits, even though it’s hard, because the pain is only temporary.”
Soccer
The boys and girls soccer teams are also having weekly practices to hone their skills for the fall season.
“Captains practices are a great opportunity for the incoming freshmen to bond with their classmates and become more comfortable in their new environment,” said junior soccer player Sydnety Ball.
“My expectations for the season are really high,” added Colin Burke, a junior soccer player. “I feel like everyone has been putting in so much work for the upcoming season.”
Staying motivated
While training in the summer heat can be tough, it definitely helps athletes develop more team chemistry and mental toughness.
“Staying motivated during the summer has been difficult at times,” said Wales. “However, the closer we get to the start of the season, the more motivated we have become. We don’t struggle to have a good attitude out there. Each and every day stepping on the field, the boys have been working hard to not only improve themselves, but the team as a whole.”
