Football practice sizzles, but Friday night lights won’t fizzle

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – There are two things in Texas you can bet on this time of year –extreme heat and Friday night lights.

The Harlan High School varsity football team practices from 4:30 to 6:30 every afternoon, even when the temperature soars above 100 degrees with real feel temperatures expected to climb to 112. The Hawks are getting ready to face Holmes High School Friday night, so they won’t call off their practice because of the extreme heat, but they do take precautions, with water readily available to the players.

“We strategically place water throughout the two fields that we use. We also will set up a tent for shade,” said Scott Lawrence, head athletic trainer at Harlan High School.

He says the Northside Independent School District has rules for outdoor sports activities in hot weather,which includes taking more breaks and they do their best to keep the players hydrated.

“Every time the player comes out of a drill, they’re getting water,” said Lawrence.

They have about a dozen student trainers with water for the players. They also have towels that have been iced down.

“We actually have two kiddie pools filled with ice and water, so if we start to notice any issues with the kids, we immediately take them out and put them in the pools to cool them off,” Lawrence told KTSA News.

The first thing he does every morning is check the weather forecast. When he gets to school, he meets with the coach and they’ll decide what the players will wear to practice.

Monday afternoon, the players wore helmets, shoulder pads and shorts.