LA CROSSE — Central High School football coach Mitch Olson told his players he liked the progress he’s been seeing after gathering for a one-hour practice on Monday afternoon.
As the sun beat down on them, Olson and his staff mostly preached fundamentals and philosophy just three days after celebrating the Fourth of July. The fact that they are all working together on those things in early July — and were in June — instead of the beginning of August has been welcomed by the coach.
New WIAA rules allow coaches to spend most of the summer with their players, and Olson was happy to have a day in the sunshine with his team after rain kept them inside on previously scheduled practices.
“There’s a really fine line, and there’s a sweet spot you’re looking for in terms of what’s too much, and what’s not enough,” Olson said when asked about taking proper advantage of the extra practices time. “These are still high school kids with jobs and social lives.
“As much as some of us would love to be out here every day, that’s not what’s best for the kids.”
The goal, he said, was to keep the sport fun while emphasizing what it will take for the RiverHawks to be as good as they can be this fall. Central was part of a five-way tie for the MVC championship last season.
Olson’s team faces extensive turnover in its starting lineup, and the time to prepare new players for that scenario is welcomed with open arms.
“It needs to be a balance of making sure we have the playbook in on both sides of the ball and focusing on fundamentals of football,” Olson said. “You can’t just point at a screen and tell someone he has to go tackle this guy.
“You have to teach them how to get there and a lot more, so we use these to work on fundamentals the same way we do throughout the year. But we also have freshmen out here, some of whom are playing football for the first time. There is a wide range of players, and you have to find where they are all at to give them that individual instruction.”
The RiverHawks have used the weight room for morning sessions and one-hour practices like Monday’s for that instruction as they figure out their plan to be competitive in the MVC.
Central will travel to Eau Claire North for a joint practice later this month in another twist from what it’s done in the past.
The RiverHawks begin their season by hosting a powerhouse Waunakee program on Aug. 21 before traveling to Ellsworth the next week and to Reedsburg to open the conference season on Sept. 5.
Even with the turnover, Olson has players on whom to rely as a new group around them makes adjustments.
Senior Christian Rudrud and junior Gabe Servais were consistent playmakers for the RiverHawks a year ago. Both took snaps at quarterback an that is likely the case for this season.
With anticipated starter Jude Alvarado injured for most of the season, Rudrud completed 29 of 46 passes for 370 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also rushed 129 times for 942 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Servais rushed 65 times for 519 yards and 4 touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 169 yards. He also completed 6 of 9 passes for 248 yards and 4 TDs.
Also a standout basketball player, Servais said his summer schedule changed significantly with the football changes.
“I have a schedule where I put aside time for football and put aside time for basketball,” said Servais, who should continue to be a triple threat for defenses when the RiverHawks have the ball. “I don’t think I put in as much time on football as I should have last summer, so that’s different this year.”
