Grit, pride, and brotherhood are the main factors in FHC’s success on the gridiron. However, these traits are not automatically embraced by everyone; instead, they are instilled through football’s most valuable tool: the offseason. 

This time of any sports season is precious and tends to be where most of the team’s foundation is laid. This is especially true for football teams like Forest Hills Central. Because football only gets one game per week, every game has to be played at the team’s peak performance, leaving little to no room for errors. The off-season is used to build players’ mental and physical strength with weight training, film sessions, and game-practical practice, which prepares them for the game-time environment. 

This current FHC off-season has proven to be highly effective for the Rangers, but this was not always the case. When head coach Tim Rogers joined the program, the team had a losing record and was one of the worst in its division. Coach Rogers saw the team’s potential and knew the issue wasn’t a lack of talent but rather a lack of discipline. The key changes he made to the team came in the offseason. 

“For many years, we used what’s called an SST Program [speed, strength, and training],” head coach Tim Rogers said. “While it did train the complete athlete, I did not think we were maximizing our ability to explode and produce power. Last summer, with the help of Joe Cebulski [Olympic decathlon competitor], we spent more time doing Olympic lifts, which made us more powerful. I like the change, and we will not be turning back.”

After years of changing and adapting, the Ranger football program has won the conference championship two years in a row and dominates both Division 1 and 2 schools. The key to success is consistency. The team begins Sunday practices as early as May to familiarize themselves with some key plays. Once summer begins, it is straight to morning lifts with sessions known as install afterward that start to introduce new alignments and routes. These morning lifts and installs occur three times a week then a team camp begins that really demonstrates what a true football practice is like. A couple of months in, two-a-days start, which is essentially the morning lifting session with a full practice later in the afternoon. 

These routines are common among most football programs but what sets coach Rogers and FHC apart from the rest are their values. Rogers and every coach on the staff ensure that grit and teamwork run the team. It is not uncommon for any of the coaches to take 30 minutes from practice and talk with the team about the mental strength required to win the game. To emphasize this point, Rogers brought in a program over the summer called the Acumen Performace Group, APG, which is run by retired Navy Seals who trained many professional teams, including the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons. The seals challenge not only players’ physical ability but also their ability to mentally overcome doubt. APG’s famous saying, “team, teammate, self,” is the foundation for all three levels of FHC football.

FHC has proven that a well-balanced offseason is what it takes to win games on Friday nights. The delicate balance between physical and mental strength can only be achieved with time, and that’s exactly what a football offseason offers its players. Ranger football is proof that if utilized correctly, an off-season can drastically improve a team’s performance.