By Patrick MacCoonRecord Sports EditorArea athletes will open practices on Monday, Aug. 3, marking the official start of the fall sports season.Warrenton High School sports set to kick off include football, softball, boys soccer, volleyball and cross country. Wright City High School will start up with football, softball, cross country and volleyball.While team goals, preparation for first games and tryouts are about to be constructed for each respective sport, the offseason has not been one of relaxation, according to Warrenton Football Coach Steve McDowell.“It’s more than just showing up on day No. 1,” McDowell said. “These athletes have been doing work all summer. Fall sports are a summer long process and a lot of sports, especially football, are year-round processes. All of our athletes have gotten towards that.”Much of the work accomplished in the offseason has centered around the weight room, where the Warriors football program has seen its strongest turnout in any season yet under its head coach.In summer weightlifting sessions, around 40 or more football players have constantly arrived early in the morning to put on extra muscle for the upcoming season, according to McDowell.“A lot of things have gone into us having a stronger focus in the weight room,” he said. “Our kids are buying into the belief that the weight room is the place to be and to get stronger.”Even outside of the weight room, dedication from several athletes has been spotted before the first practice is blown in an official practice.“This year our seniors have really stepped up already,” McDowell said. “They do a lot of things I don’t tell them they have to do. One of our senior lineman the other day grabbed about 20 other players and did sprints after practice.”The next step will be getting his players into the season mindset and preparing for what hopes to be a strong season on the gridiron.“We are all ready to get after it,” he said. “It’s been a really good summer for us with all the participation. Our kids are strong and in shape. Now we just have to get them all in the practice mode. We are hungry to succeed.”Football practice will begin for Warrenton at 8 a.m. and will last for three hours, with tryouts taking place on the first day of practice.McDowell is hoping to build his roster to around 70-75 players like he did last season with the program. He expects around 15-20 new faces to show up for tryouts.Other fall sports are building excitement as well for Warrenton.“You look at our softball program and they are coming off a successful year,” McDowell said. “Our soccer and volleyball programs did very well too. It’s exciting for us to all get back to school and get the fall sports season started.”
Nine different sports between Warrenton and Wright City open up this fall. First official practices begin Aug. 3.
