The football team has an extensive process to prepare for games with multiple people working behind the scenes to ensure the team can perform the best, varsity football head coach Kelly King said. This is Coach King’s 41st year coaching football at MHS, he said.
“The practices are scripted, so we just stay on script,” King said. “It’s all planned out,” he added.
The average football practice is intense, consisting of weight lifting, stretching, individual practice, and film, junior offensive lineman Matthew Agloro said. There is intense pressure to perform well as well as plenty of work to do off the field, he added.
“We were given a playbook, and we study it (the playbook) over time and we memorize it,” Agloro said.
The team managers were originally tasked with creating artificial intelligence (AI) reports; however it has not been working well so now they are tasked with data entry and collection using the film of the other teams, King said.
“We pull the reports once all the data is in, so it’s basically data entry right now,” King said. “(The reports) were going to lead to a few other ideas, but right now, it’s not functioning that way.”
However, AI is not being used much in the game, King said. The AI play prediction model will hopefully be able to be implemented next year, he added.
“It’s helping, but it was originally designed to be something a little more than what it is right now,” King said.
The team managers help the football coaches however they can, senior and team manager Arav Sharma said.
“We help him (Coach King) fill out data,” Sharma said. “We just do it (data entry) at home, but it’s demanding. It’s four hours, every three or four days.”
Senior Alb Sefa, the team videographer, works with the team managers to capture, store, and analyze both the Trojan football team’s film as well as the opponent’s film, Sefa said.
“I offered my services because I knew I could help,” Sefa said. “I have my own SD cards that I use, and I then upload the videos through Google Drive and just send it to whoever needs the videos.”
Coach King works all weekend to strategize for upcoming gameshe said.
“I stay up till about two or three in the morning, working on that night’s game, getting stats done,” King said. “And then get up Saturday at seven or eight, and then I’m starting to break film all day – working all day,” he added.
During the weekday practices, the players and coaches work on alternate days to practice for the game.
“During the week, it depends on what day it (the practice) is,” King said. “If it’s an offense or defensive day, it’ll be one or two of the special teams, either punt, punt return or kickoff, kickoff return.”
Injuries are a major problem in contact sports, he said.
“There’s been a few injuries, but we’re working through it,” King said.
The football team includes more than just the players, King said. That is why the team functions so well.
“Next man up mentality – that’s why it’s a team,” King said.
