BY JESS KIRCHHOFF
This past year has been a bit of a disappointment for Tiger Football fans as the 2020 regular-season schedule was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as fans excitedly await the upcoming season, the team has been putting in countless hours of work throughout their “time off”.
Head Football Coach, Chris Brown, explained that while there weren’t necessarily official games to watch last season, the team never went through a dormant period.
“We actually did practice in the fall and spring to get our kids better. In the spring we had three scrimmages,” Brown said. “I was very pleased with our young men and their maturity to handle this situation. They did everything that was asked of them and they gained knowledge of the game of football.”
The Tigers held a joint practice with Northwest Oklahoma State and played scrimmages against Southwest Oklahoma State and Colorado School of Mines.
Brown then went on to discuss just how different the summer training is compared to the in-season preparation.
“Summer is ran by our players and strength coach, Doug Boucher. We give our kids expectations on what each individual needs to improve on as well as what we need to improve on as a team,” Brown said. “We try to make our strengths even stronger and make our weaknesses a strength. It is based on position, offense and defense and as a team overall to be our best once fall camp begins.”
Though each individual has something to work on during the “off-season”, there is still something to be said when each player’s contributions come together to form the team dynamic that Tiger fans know and coaches love.
“It’s a good feeling to see your team come together, seeing the young men step up and take on the challenge that has been put in front of them,” Brown said. “It is a process and each kid excels at different rates. I don’t know if there is really an exact moment but you do get glimpses of everyone on the same page at the same time.” Tiger fans can prepare to see this year’s team come together as Tiger Football is set to start up again this fall. Make sure to mark your calendars for the season kickoff at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 2nd at Lewis Field Stadium. For more games set on home turf and a complete traveling schedule, visit the FSHU Athletics website.