Comets hold first football practice of 2017 season

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — High school football teams across the state will be performing what can be referred to as a reverse stripetease as the first official week of practice progresses.

“For the first two days, they will practices with helmets,” Charles City Comets head coach Darren Bohlen said. “Then Wednesday through Friday we’ll start wearing shoulder pads.

“It’s something the state has mandated us to do to help get the kids acclimated to practicing in full gear during the summer heat.”

That seemed unnecessary on Monday, the first official day of high school practice which was graced with mild temperatures in the low 70s.

“It’s like ‘Where has the summer gone?’ “ Bohlen said of the approaching season and school year. “We’re already back at it again.”

Bohlen is not complaining as he — like many other football coaches — is chomping at the bit in anticipation for what is widely considered the best part of the year for (American) sport fans.

“We had a good first practice,” Bohlen said. “I love the kids’ attitudes going into the season, and we saw that during last week’s (Northeast Iowa All Positions) football camp.”

Bohlen is pleased that the incoming seniors had 100-percent attendance this summer for morning off-season weight training.

“We also had good attendance for our underclassmen,” Bohlen said. “Some of them had other things over the

summer like driver’s ed that kept them away.

“Usually, by the time our guys are seniors, they get it and they know (off-season) weight training is needed. What we always try to work on is to get more underclassmen to realize that a little earlier.”

The Comets are due to make some adjustments this year. They lost some state track-qualifying speed with the graduation of Jaden Foster and Zion Jordan, respectively the Comets’ leading receiver and rusher from last season.

“But overall we’re going to be bigger and quicker as a team,” said Bohlen, who plans to lean more to a run-oriented offense this season as opposed to last year’s downfield passing attack.

Bohlen has kept his staff from last season, which consists of Brian Bohlen, Bob Kloberdanz, Tad Barry, Andrew Christenson, Mike Jung, Jim Lundberg and volunteer assistant Mark Sindlinger. But has realigned the coaching system.

“We now have an offensive staff and a defensive staff that will instruct all our offensive and defensive players regardless if they’re varsity coaches, sophomore coaches or freshman coaches,” Bohlen said. “During game days, like for freshman games, our freshman coaches (Barry and Lundberg) are going to be on the sidelines. But during practices, they’ll be instructing players are all levels.”

Bohlen said he heard about the system being employed at another school while yielding positive results.

“This is the first time we’re trying it here,” Bohlen said. “We’ll see how it works.”

The Comets will open the season with an away game, Aug. 25 at New Hampton.

The Friday before (Aug. 18), the Comets will scrimmage against Hampton-Dumont at H-D.

There were 60 kids out for football at the Comets’ first practice.

“Our numbers are a little down this years, but I like the players that we have,” Bohlen said. “We’re going to be competitive this year. It may not always add up to wins, especially in the district we’re in, but we will compete toe-to-toe out there.”