September 9, 2020 at 11:59 a.m.
Fall Practice Notebook
Boys' soccer: Hodags rolling with the changes
Fall Practice Notebook
Physical distancing, masks and small pods were the buzzwords on Monday as the Hodags kicked off practice with two different sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Bates said he finds himself in a tricky position as practice begins, trying to balance the limitations regarding contact and the guidance regarding the use of masks at practice while also trying to build cohesion on the field as the team prepares to open the season at home against Antigo this coming Tuesday.
"It's difficult because we're trying our best to keep limitations on the kids but, at the same time, we have to try to have some normalcy to it, to get the kids prepared for their games," he said. "All and all, we're doing the best we can."
Most of Monday's practice sessions involved conditioning - the team went on a three-mile run during the morning session - and individual skills. The team was able to scrimmage 11-on-11 at the end of practice, with players wearing masks.
"The kids are getting a lot of touches on the ball. We're able to work the offense together. We're able to work the defense together. Then, when we do come into groups of 10, we have the kids wearing masks the whole time that they're together in those groups," Bates said. "Otherwise, we're trying to keep it minimal. We're doing individual drills where the kids don't have to have the masks on for (long) periods of time. Tonight they had them on for about 25 minutes. It makes it a little challenging that we can't just go full bore. It would be great if we could but, unfortunately, right now, we just can't."
That the team was able to go 11-on-11 was a positive. Injuries and attrition hurt the team's numbers last year, but the squad has 26 in total to start the season - with six freshmen taking the place of the six seniors who graduated at the end of last year.
"We're trying to get the kids to flow together as a team, since we haven't been able to have the teams do that," Bates said. "It's going to be tough. Our first game, starting off with Antigo, it's going to be tough. There are going to be some bumps in the road. The kids haven't had full field scrimmage-type time, very little. Tonight was the most we've done all year. That's going to be the toughest part."
Volleyball: Hodags rush to get ready with new coach Povolo
The RHS volleyball team got a slight reprieve from its time crunch as they get ready for the upcoming season. The team's scheduled season opener at Northland Pines has been moved from next Tuesday to Saturday, Sept. 19, meaning the team will now begin the year at home against three-time defending GNC-champion Mosinee on Sept. 17.
Two extra days is not a lot for new head coach Jim Povolo, who was hired during the pandemic, but he will take all the time he can get.
"I don't think there's any team that wouldn't mind having a couple of extra days - especially because we have a new coaching staff," he said. "For us to kind of come in and ease into that change with a couple of extra days is certainly going to be helpful."
Because of the pandemic, a lot of the Hodags' offseason program was nixed. Most notably the team was not able to play in its summer league like in years past. Individual and small group workouts started for the team in July, and moved into the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium in August once OKed by school officials, but the Hodags are behind the eight ball and pressed for time as they try to get accustomed to their fourth head coach in the last six years.
"I'm going to try to blend what was done in previous years with the system of play I want to install," Povolo said. "I honestly think we're going to struggle a little bit (adjusting). I call my sets a little differently than what they've been called in the past. My serve-receive formations, my passers are a little bit different than they've done in the past. We're going to focus mainly on those sorts of things so we can, hopefully, build on that comfort level as we move into the breadth of our season."
The team has wasted little time. The varsity and JV squads were scheduled to be set by the middle of the week, ahead of the five-week conference schedule that starts next Thursday.
Povolo said numbers are slightly down from what he expected, with just over 40 players showing up for day one.
On Monday and Tuesday, Povolo split practice into two sessions - one session for incoming freshmen and another for sophomores, juniors and seniors - which reduced the number of players in the gym at one time.
The other notable sight from the first two days of practice were face masks, which were on all players and coaches at all times, even when they were actively involved in drills. Povolo noted he is seeking clarification from the school regarding if players will be allowed to unmask when on the floor in active competition but, for now, he noted no significant impact on performance or stamina with masks on.
"I was chuckling because we were doing a little bit of a conditioning drill during our serve-receive practice and the kids were actually doing much better than I expected we would because they were running from one end of the gym to the other with their masks on," he said. "I saw a few people tugging to give themselves a little bit of space, but otherwise, they're doing better than I thought they would, honestly, with masks."
Regardless of the circumstances, Povolo said he's happy to get back to volleyball.
"I'm excited to be in the gym," he said. "I'm excited to be in here and have a full group of girls for us to work with. That's nice."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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