ONALASKA — The Luther High School football team ran onto its practice field the very minute it could Tuesday morning in a new concept implemented by coach Jeff Komay.
He called it ‘Midnight Mayhem’ and gave the Knights a new experience to go with the excitement of how the upcoming season could unfold.
“It took a little organizing, but, man, the energy was crazy,” Komay said of the 90-minute practice under the lights on the game field. “We just did some regular practice stuff like a ball-strip drill and something we called the Bear Den Relays with bear crawls and carrying the honey pot and things like that.
“They really liked it. It was fun.”
The practice was followed by a sleepover in the school, which left Komay a little weary for the first regularly scheduled fall workout Tuesday evening.
“I didn’t get much sleep,” he said with a smile. “But I got a little nap this afternoon.”
Senior running back and linebacker Logan Pierce said sleep repercussions aside, the bonding event had the desired effect. Camaraderie was strengthened, and the chance to practice in a different setting right off the bat was unique.
“It felt like it was a game-night atmosphere,” he said. “It’s good to start the season under the lights.”
Pierce and senior Sam Schmeling were both all-conference performers in the Coulee Conference last season and both will be relied upon to lead for a team that has some high expectations.
Pierce will play running back and linebacker and Schmeling offensive guard and linebacker for a team that was 4-5 overall and 4-3 in the Coulee.
Schmeling led the team in total tackles with 96 and tackles for loss with 15 as a junior. Pierce was in on 75 total tackles and made nine stops behind the line of scrimmage. Those performances certainly give the Knights something to build around on defense.
“As linebackers, we are kind of leaders of the defense, and we’re ready for that role,” said Schmeling, who was a captain as a junior and follows in the footsteps of two older brothers who were also captains. “We are ready to lead our defense to great things, and we’ve been working hard all offseason for this.”
Schmeling, at 5-foot-10, is up 30 pounds to 220 this fall and credits a lifting program that was well-attended all summer. Komay and the team continued to push strength and speed in preparation for the season, and competitors in all sports have participated in bigger numbers than past summers.
Pierce, who rushed for a team-high 482 yards and scored nine touchdowns (six rushing, two receiving and one on an interception), said he will be a much faster player on the field this season.
“We had a very organized program with that, and our times came down,” Komay said. “The participation was way more than we’ve ever had. In the 18 years I have been here, I have never seen that many kinds participating.”
Pierce’s speed and experience, Komay said, will require the offensive staff to maximize his availability.
“Even when he was young, it was always, ‘Watch this kid, watch this kid,'” Komay said. “I see a breakout year for him.
“We will change up some things up offensively that will be real specific for him as a playmaker. There will definitely be an emphasis in getting him the ball.”
Schmeling will be one of those responsible for creating spaces for Pierce to create, and he said he likes the aggressiveness and physicality he expects to see in those efforts.
