Vikings focused on team culture
By RYAN MCCRACKEN on May 23, 2019.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com
The Crescent Heights Vikings are fighting for a brighter future, and that battle begins in the clubhouse.
Vikings head coach Sean Davis says the team will be facing a handful of challenges as they prepare to compete for a Rangeland Football Conference championship next season, but all of them can be aided by a positive shift in the team’s culture and identity.
“Our biggest challenge is actually in house, it’s rebuilding the culture of excellence,” said Davis, whose Vikings wrapped up spring camp earlier this month. “I’m a big believer that success breeds success and these kids need to experience success, but they also need to put the work in. They need to understand exactly what needs to be done in order to achieve the things we want to achieve.”
The Vikings will only have a handful of senior players when they return to the gridiron in the fall, but Davis says they’ll be returning a high number of younger players and drawing in some notable talent from the bantam Parkside Pythons.
“They bring lots of size, lots of speed, lots of aggression. They’re going to be pushing our Grade 11 kids and be competing with them for starting position,” said Davis. “We’ve also got some kids in Grade 9 coming up that have never played before, but they have a lot of different skill sets – we have some basketball kids from our basketball program coming out and trying and they look great, they’re just really rough. We’ve got lots to work with, we’re just going to have to coach them up and see how they do.”
While the lack of a senior presence will provide an immediate challenge on the field, Davis says hosting a younger squad comes with its upsides as well – from grooming the next year’s senior crop to fostering a better team atmosphere for years to come.
“It’s a bit of a double-edged sword. Having a large senior group has its bonuses – having guys with that game experience, they carry that respect with them – but we’re in a really great position,” he said. “Last year we had a large Grade 10 group and they’re going to be in the system with me for all three years of their football careers and we can build them into those leaders – whether that be a vocal leader or otherwise. That’s a huge bonus for us. Those kids are already displaying those qualities, taking ownership of the things that are happening on this team and holding each other accountable – and accountability is a huge part of leadership.”
Davis added the team’s culture extends off the field and into the classroom as well, as he expects his players to put just as much effort into their grades as they put into the game.
“We strive here at Crescent Heights High School to be the standard in the city for what a student athlete and academic success looks like,” said Davis. “We have a whole study hall program in place for them five days a week and we’ve been doing a lot of work this off-season getting these kids up to a level that we feel is acceptable. It all comes back to effort.”
While spring camp wrapped up earlier this month, the work continues through the summer for players and coaches alike. Davis says he designed a strength-training program for each player to adhere to through the off-season, which includes weight training, speed and agility and energy system development.
“In the off-season program I’m looking for effort and enthusiasm,” he said. “What I’m really looking for is that work ethic and that drive to compete. When they come back after the summer I want to see their work. I want to be able to test them and see that work and see that fire and competition. Hopefully that translates onto the field on Aug. 16 when we come out and start training camp.”
13
-12
