ROCKINGHAM — As head football coach Bryan Till dished out his last words at the end of Friday’s workouts, players were still trying to catch their breath.
Helmets were removed, heads were hung low and the gasps for air could be heard across the field.
But Till didn’t feel sorry for them.
“Heads up,” he barked at his players, who were all on one knee. “And fix your posture.”
The Raiders had just been put through a handful of conditioning drills in the summer heat. They were split into five teams and competed in a series of relay races that didn’t get any easier.
Rising senior linebacker Savion Streeter, a 2016 all-conference selection, says the team has been working harder when it comes to their strength and conditioning. It may not be the most fun thing about the sport, but Streeter believes it’ll go a long way once the season begins.
“I think it’ll help us out a lot,” Streeter said. “If we don’t have a backup (at our position), we’ll be able to play longer. We’ve just got to keep on pushing.”
It started with a normal relay race, as five coaches were lined up — a number of yards away — in front of each team in order to make sure the players didn’t take any shortcuts. When the whistle was blown, players ran to where the coaches stood and then made their way back their line — tagging the next guy’s hand so he could begin his sprint.
The next relay, which involved 45-pound weights, made the coaches move 20 yards closer. Players had to run around the coaches and back with the weight either in front of them or at their sides.
What Richmond simply calls “boards” was undeniably the toughest relay, however.
Although the distance was the shortest, it may have taken the Raiders the longest to complete due to players struggling to stay on their feet while pushing a short 2×4 board on all fours. The exercise, according to Till, helps players maintain a “good base” and gives them a “good center of gravity.”
The Raiders — excluding the team that won Friday’s competition — ended the day with 20 up-downs.
“I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not real pleased with where we’re at from that standpoint right now,” Till said. “We’re better than we were on Monday, even doing that…but it’s got to get better.”
It might take a while for Richmond to please the first-year coach, seeing that he has a decorated background in strength and conditioning.
Till received his undergraduate degree in exercise sports science at the University of Georgia, had a short internship with the Atlanta Falcons and started his career at Athens Academy as its strength and conditioning coach. And he’s held that title everywhere he’s been since then — even when he was the head coach at Terry Sanford from 2013 to 2016.
All of that experience has led to him putting more of an emphasis on conditioning during the dog days of summer.
“X’s and O’s are very important but if you can’t whip the man in front of you, it doens’t matter what you draw on the board,” Till said. “We’ve got to be at peak conditioning come Week 1.”
Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. at 910-817-2673 and follow the sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.
Richmond Senior head football coach Bryan Till watches as his team completes the 20 up-downs that were assigned at the end of Friday’s workout. Till’s background as a strength and conditioning coach has played a integral role in how the Raiders approach the summer.
Richmond Senior linebacker Savion Streeter pushes a 4×2 plywood during a relay Friday morning.
A few Richmond Senior football players compete in a relay race during Friday’s summer workout.