Belleville — The Belleville football team wasted no time in beginning the new season, hitting the field at 12 a.m. sharp to continue its annual tradition of a midnight practice to kick off its season.
It’s Year 4 of the very early morning practice, which was implemented by head coach Calvin Norman in 2023 when he first took the helm. Aug. 10 marks the first allowed day of practices by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, and what better time to begin the season than right when the clock hits 12.
“This is something different for the kids and they get excited about it,” Norman said. “What better way to kick off the season than in the middle of the night?”
Norman didn’t come up with the idea of a late-night practice, however. He noticed how teams in hotter states often practice late at night or early in the morning to avoid the heat, so he wanted to carry this idea to Belleville in his own fashion.
“I got this idea by seeing teams down south do this,” Norman said. “So by us doing it, I’ve noticed that there’s other teams in Michigan that are now doing it and picking up on the same idea. The best time for the kids to have it is at this time of the night, where they don’t have to deal with the sun and the humidity.”
The practice is set up as any other regular two-a-day goes: The team begins by lining up to stretch, then separates into position groups for drills for 2½ hours before settling down for a 90-minute break, where mothers of the team prepared food. The players then go back onto the field and repeat the process for another 2½ hours until around 6 a.m.
Norman was noticeably excited for the practice to begin, but it wasn’t just the coach who was seemingly bought into the idea, as the players were energetic before the whistles were even blown. The excitement was clear as the team gathered for a minute-long hype session at midfield once the stretching was complete.
“We really think it’s really productive for us,” senior receiver Charles “Tre” Britton III said. “It just goes to show that everybody is dedicated to the team and is dedicated to do the same thing this year. We want to be the first ones out here to get up early and get as much done as possible done.”
Belleville knows the standard of what it takes to produce winning football, having won back-to-back Division 1 titles in 2021 and 2022, so the expectations are always high among the program. In its first year post-Bryce Underwood, the team went 7-3 sitting atop of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East in 2025-26 before falling to Woodhaven in the district semifinals.
This year, a further postseason push and a more complete team is expected.
“I expect a much better football team because of the ups and downs we went through last year, being so young,” Norman said. “Now I’m dealing with a lot more experience and a lot more growth. We have what I call a high school football team now. Last year, I didn’t think we did. I feel confident in this group of guys.”
Doug Doty is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Belleville football gets jump on 2026 season, hits field at midnight
Reporting by Doug Doty, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Doug Doty, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
