Who needs pads and a sled when you've got two perfectly good trucks sitting outside your weight room?
Jon Michael Porras pondered this last year while planning his first summer workout plan as head football coach at Live Oak. Rather than keep his players' strength training indoors, Porras took it to the street.
"Me and the other coaches thought it'd be fun to have the guys push trucks," Porras said Wednesday at Live Oak High School. "It's fun for the kids and they get a great workout. It works the same muscles when you're hitting the sled."
Truck pushing isn't just for linemen - the typical sled movers. From quarterbacks to kickers, Porras had his entire team shoving a Chevrolet Suburban and Dodge Ram in 98-degree heat before Wednesday's practice.
"It's something different for them," Porras added. "It's sort of a summer tradition here."
The last thing Live Oak needs to do is break routine.
Fresh off an 8-5 season that included an El Toro Bowl victory over rival Sobrato and the program's first CIF-Central Coast Section championship appearance in 18 years, the Acorns have returned to summer camp hoping to find their midseason form early. Porras already has his players reperfecting Live Oak's exotic "fleer" offense, a mixture of fly and veer option.
Quarterbacks Jeff Roberts, a first-time all-league selection in 2007, and Gilroy High transfer Taylor Alonzo were working closely with running backs Billy Van Aken, Jeff Bleam and Alex Muhn.
"We're further along at this point than we were last summer," said Porras, now in his fifth year with the program. "We have a better knowledge for our system. Last year, we changed things up a little bit. Now, the guys understand what we've been through.
We're ahead of the game right now."
It's an uplifting statement considering the Acorns' offseason personnel losses. Of the 50 players welcomed to summer noncontact drills two weeks ago, only six were varsity starters in 2007. That leaves at least 16 first-string spots to fill before Live Oak's Sept. 5 opener with Sobrato.
The Acorns' biggest hit came in the trenches.
"We lost seven of our eight starting linemen," said Porras, a Live Oak alumni. "That's a big loss."
The lone returning starter from both lines is senior guard Eric Dean, who could also see playing time at linebacker, Porras said.
"Eric's a good one to have back," added line coach Bart Neilsen. "He's helping our 'newbies' along - we've got a lot of them on the line. This group is learning fast, though."
Porras is fortunate to have two captains back in Roberts and strong safety James Hamblin. They've helped instill a vigorous team work ethic.
"The drive of these guys has been the most impressive part of camp so far," Porras said. "The guys still feel like they don't have any respect even after last year. The sentiment around town is that it was a fluke, and the only reason they did so well is because of last year's seniors.
"We still have a lot of talent. The desire to be respected is pretty high. They're pushing themselves."
Porras is doing the same. He's scheduled four contact clinics for the Acorns this summer, including a three-day camp at Cal State Monterey Bay this weekend.
"We're taking any edge we can get," Porras said. "More camps means more knowledge; more guys to play against. It give us a chance to get the pads on early, too. There's a lot higher motivation."
Not that the Acorns are running dry on inspiration. To spur his players, Porras uses the same phrase he uttered the first day of spring practice: "We play Sobrato on Sept. 5."
Scott Adams Scott Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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