Newton football kicks off fall sports with midnight practice

The fall season of high school sports officially began at the stroke of midnight on Monday.

While most teams in the six fall sports started their practices Monday this morning or afternoon, the Newton football team decided to hold its first practice the first minute it could.

Midnight football practices to start the season are nothing new, but it was a first for Newton. After the players voted to try it out, second-year coach Chris Jaax mapped out a practice under the lights that he hopes will generate some excitement about the season.

“It was a great way to kick off the season,” Jaax said. “We weren’t going to miss a single minute, so the first minute we could be out there then we were going to be out there getting better.”

Jaax knew other football programs like Garden Plain, which has held a midnight practice for nearly two decades, have made the event a fun way to involve the community.

That’s the ultimate goal in Newton, but for this first year Jaax didn’t want to dress it up too much. Since Fischer Field is next to a neighborhood, the team couldn’t play music and only a handful of parents were in attendance.

Jaax thought it took his team awhile to adjust.

“I was disappointed we didn’t come out better at the start, but I thought as the practice went on the energy really ramped up,” Jaax said. “I thought the kids handled a different environment well and that we got better as the practice went on.”

The practice was a hit with the players, who enjoyed something different from the standard 6 a.m. practice.

“It was pretty cool to come out here and practice under the lights and get our season started as soon as we could,” Newton senior Warren Dietz said. “I think it would be a pretty cool tradition to start. I know some other teams in the area do it, but I think it would be cool if we could follow in their footsteps and get it started here in Newton.”

By the rules set out by the Kansas State High School Activities Association, teams are allowed to practice with helmets only on the first day. The shoulder pads come on Tuesday; Friday is the first day full contact and live action is permitted.

That didn’t stop Newton coaches from finding ways to bring out the competitiveness in their players.

The highlight of the night came near the end of practice when Jaax held a tug-of-war type competition that pitted an offensive player against a defensive player both holding onto a blocking pad. Whoever ripped the pad away was the winner.

With the score tied at two apiece headed toward the final round, Newton senior Garret Pfannenstiel yanked the pad away one last time to give the offense the victory and set off a celebration.

“It was definitely a really good feeling since this is my last year,” Pfannenstiel said. “You could just tell there is a lot more energy this year than there was last year. I’m really excited to get this season started and see what we can do.”

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Newton football kicks off fall sports with midnight practice."