Live Oak takes a breath before lead up to season begins in ernest

The Live Oak football team had its last hurrah for the summer this past week and now enters the calm before the storm.
The Acorns, looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2012 season, concluded summer workouts on Thursday and now enter a mandatory break before returning on Aug. 16 to begin final preparations for the 2013 season.
Coach Mike Gemo was content overall with the progress the team has made this summer, but acknowledges there is still work to be done.
“We’re still trying to find the right mix of who is going to play where,” Gemo said Monday.
The team will have an abbreviated lead up to the start of the season because of CCS rules that now forbid double-day practices and shortens how long teams have to practice in pads.
Gemo said double-days were crucial to the season because it got the kids ready for the physically tough season.
“In double-days, we get to bump on each other a little bit and get some of the soreness out,” Gemo said.
Then, the team can institute some of the game planning for some of the first contests of the season.
Gemo said this will now be done all at once to accommodate the new rules.
But Gemo said the team will adapt and get the kids ready in time for Gilroy to kick off 2013.
While the two weeks prevents the entire team from working out together, Gemo said he hopes the seniors will show leadership and get people out during the break to do some running and to get into better shape.
This week, Gemo instituted fitness tests where each position groups had to run 300 yards three times.
It will be conducted right before the first padded practices.
Gemo will use it as motivation for the boys to work on conditioning ahead of the season.
Gemo said he’s been pleased with how the seniors have stepped up this summer to help prepare the team ahead of the coming year.
Most of that core of seniors are returning linemen.
Led by Sean Aitken and Ryan Quadros on the line, with Trevor Breaden at running back, Mitch Crowley and Brandon Sorce, the Acorns are getting through the riggers of the preseason workouts.
Follow Cheeto Barrera on Twitter @MHTCheeto