On the heels of a very successful fundraising lift-a-thon last Friday, WCHS football coach Tom Moore wanted to make sure all rising freshmen who are interested in playing football know they can join the varsity team workouts on Tuesday morning at 8 a.m.
Coach Moore said, “Coaches and players are very excited to have the new freshmen join our team. I have seen them work out at the middle school during their spring practice and I was really encouraged. There are a good number of athletes in the line and in the skilled positions. I am most excited about them joining our lifting program, which I would say has been outstanding during the five months I have been at Warren County.”
Moore gives strength coach David Upton and the boys all the credit. “Just walk by our weight room and you can feel and hear coach Upton’s energy, it’s really contagious.”
Coach Moore said the two strongest boys on the team are juniors Ethan Stuart and Raleigh Wood, who are both very close to a total of 1,100 total pounds for the three lifts of bench press, squat and power clean. A number of other boys are showing excellent results as well.
 “I am most excited about our progress in the power clean. We now have 10 guys who can clean 225 pounds or more. They are Rickie King, Jordan Bonner, Mitchell Stembridge, Jaden Crisp, Bryson Cope, DeAndre Thomas, Hunter Hawkins, Raliegh Wood, Logan Dyer, and Ethan Stuart. We have about eight more boys who are very close. A 225-pound clean is very good for a high school football player. And I think it is the best measure of the combination of athletic ability and strength,” Moore explained.
Coach Moore said getting more guys to “buy in” to working hard in the weight room will be the quickest way to improve both as football players and as athletes. “The boys who have come in and worked hard each day all are now significantly stronger than they were in January. I tell them all the time if they work hard at something they will improve. It’s not rocket science. We have worked hard and we have become stronger.”
Currently there are 10 players who can bench press 300 pounds or more. Coach Moore said he needs to get that number to 20 over the summer.
Tuesday will be a big day for the Pioneers because it is the first day of summer workouts. Coach Moore said that during the first week, “All of the coaches will be focusing on the incoming freshman group.
“It is important we teach proper lifting techniques to the freshman guys,” said Moore. “I want these young men to feel comfortable with our players and our coaches. In my opinion, we have a great group of guys on the team, some of the best kids in the entire school. They will make the transition for the ninth-graders smooth.”