HOUSTON – When their school closed, the Strake Jesuit College Preparatory football team knew they’d have to get creative to work out.
“As soon as we heard that we weren’t going to have JAC (Jesuit Athletic Camp) we decided, ‘hey, let’s go there,‘” said senior Luke Melton.
Now, the boys are sweating at Plex sports complex and being trained by Danny Arnold, who trains Jake Matthews, Jadaveon Clowney and many elite pro athletes. They are training like the pros and that is new for them.
“Many of them threw up, probably a good 75% of them threw up,” Melton said regarding the team’s first workout.
A small silver lining in all of this? After a couple of months of training in a professional environment like Plex, the Crusaders feel the best they ever have.
“We can do a lot of things physically that we weren’t able to do last season,” said Melton.
“I have really found what I need to work on to push myself further,” said junior Jake Foster. “I have found those specific parts where I just tap out in my head.”
And in a summer full of doubt, these boys are keeping their eyes on the prize.
“If we have any part of a season, I have to do my absolute best that I can,” said Foster, who is hoping to be recruited for possible collegiate football. “And the team has to do our absolute best.”