High school football practice kicks off

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - High school football teams throughout the state kicked off their respective practice schedules Monday, with the regular season set to kick off in less than three weeks.

Two teams coming off big seasons, Central Catholic and West Lafayette, conducted a respective pair of practices Monday.

"We have to work on getting better," said Central Catholic Head Coach Kevin O'Shea. "We've got some young kids out there that need a lot of schooling. We're spending a lot of time trying to get them incorporated into the offensive and defensive schemes, just so they have the knowledge."

The Knights, a program that's won the past three Class A state titles and owns a current 45-game winning streak, are quick to point out the importance of preseason workouts.

"I think it's really important to for the younger guys to come and look focused," said Central Catholic senior offensive lineman Pat Mackey. "And I thought they did a pretty good job looking good and focused and knowing where they need to go."

West Lafayette, which went 12-2 and advanded to Class 3A Semi-State last season, spent the majority of their two workouts Monday working on conditioning drills.

"I say that all of our wins and stuff come from the conditioning," said Red Devils senior offensive lineman/linebacker Quinton Skibinski.

One of Skibinski's fellow seniors, Brody Forbes, agrees with the emphasis on preseason conditioning.

"The workouts are probably the biggest factor that give us that edge over our opponents," said Forbes, a senior safety/kicker. "That extra sprint or that extra mile really pays a big deal in the fourth quarter."

The high school football regular season kicks off Friday, August 17.