LANCASTER – When Jeremy McKinney took over as the head football coach of the Lancaster football team back in January, his priority was to change the culture.
It obviously takes time, but the vibe and energy around the Golden Gales is undeniable.
Lancaster took another step in building that togetherness by hosting a midnight practice on Saturday, Aug. 1, the first official day teams can practice full go.
Fulton Field was ready Friday night, and when the clock struck 12:01, music was playing, and guys were flying around with tons of energy, which is exactly what McKinney was hoping for.
“It’s something we have never done, and I thought it would be neat to try it,” McKinney said. “I thought it would be an opportunity to kick off the season as soon as we could. I was really pleased with our effort, and to be out here at midnight, I thought we had a lot of energy. It’s something I thought about for a few years, and the opportunity presented itself because it happened to be a Friday night into a Saturday.
“We wanted to try to do something a little different and get these guys to spend time together because, really, that is the key. You can talk about building culture, but to do it, you have to put in the time, and the more time we can spend together, the more ingrained our culture becomes.”
All the talk in the preseason was about how much the players enjoy coming to practice and how eager they are to learn McKinney’s system. They have embraced it, and it is showing on the field.
“It’s a credit to our guys, and especially our seniors,” McKinney said. “They come ready to go. They are excited every single day to be here, and it trickles down to the younger guys. Our younger guys see how they are supposed to practice, and more than anything, it creates a great atmosphere for everyone. I think that is an easy thing to take for granted, and as a coach, you have to make sure you don’t. The energy has been there every day.”
The numbers show it with 80 players. Lancaster has 31 seniors, 28 juniors and 21 sophomores.
Senior offensive lineman Nik Brown said practicing under the lights was an amazing experience, and he sees how the culture of the program has changed drastically.
“This is awesome,” Brown said. “We have never done this before. It’s different, but we really like it. This is the first full day we can practice, and it’s a great team bonding experience for us. Last year, practices were kind of dead, and this year, there is more of a sense of urgency and a different culture already. The coaches have been great, and we are all comfortable with them.”
Senior Jack Pompey added, “Never doing anything like this before, practicing at midnight, it’s exciting. We had a week off, and we were all so excited to get back out here, and you could feel how much energy there was. The coaches have preached a family culture, and them instilling that has made a huge difference. Everyone comes to practice ready to work.”
The Gales are preparing for their first scrimmage, which takes place at 6 p.m. Aug. 7 at Westland. It will be a three-way scrimmage, with New Albany being the other team.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: The energy was undeniable at midnight practice for Lancaster football
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
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By Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
