As the first week of high school football practices comes to an end with a cool low 90s degree day on Friday, coaches still had to find ways to dodge the heat, with three of the five days hitting more than 100 degrees.
The first week equals no fully padded practice for players as they have to complete five days called the acclimatization period.
Many teams try to practice around the heat, either starting practices early in the morning at around 6 a.m. or practices late in the evening at 6 p.m.
Nocona has practiced in the mornings in the first week. Coach Blake Crutsinger, on top of including plenty of regular water breaks, also said there have been some extended 15 minute water break inside with air conditioning mixed in as well.
Forestburg, in keeping with what the team did last year, decided to start its practice at the time it would during the school year.
That means practicing during the heat of the day starting at 4 p.m.
To combat this, Coach Greg Roller detailed having his team take short breaks every 20-25 minutes, with water as well as shade and a big fan blowing to cool them off. In the middle of practice, Roller said the team breaks into the locker room for a 10 minute break with the air conditioner.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.