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ALTON - The Alton High School football team is conditioning with excitement under head coach Eric Dickerson and the other coaches in Phase Four guidelines in its Return To Play Program approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Phase Four, which was renamed in order to stay within the language of the Restore Illinois project and guidelines in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, started July 13, with three practices a week as the Redbirds and other schools continue to prepare for the upcoming fall season.
"In Phase Three, we worked on strength and conditioning," Coach Dickerson said. "Everything has been going well, the boys are working hard and it's great being around everyone again, since we've been away from them for so long. Everyone's excited to be back here, for sure."
The players have been gradually getting back into shape after being off since the closing of schools statewide back on March 17, which eventually caused the spring sports season to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
"It's been fine, from what we're allowed to do," Dickerson said. "We're trying to get them back into playing shape, since most of the kids have been off since mid-March, when the shutdown started."
The shutdown has put much of the summer training season behind schedule, but much more importantly, many of the intangibles that help make a team a team.
"Of course, since I'm also a track coach, we missed the spring season," Dickerson said, "and for the football team, we missed a lot of weight training, and most importantly, the camaraderie that goes along with being together."
The coaches enjoy being around their players just as much as the players enjoy being around each other. It's part of the atmosphere that helps make sports fun for everyone.
"It's been fun, and for both myself and for the kids," Dickerson said, "and right now, before we got to this phase, you miss the X's and O's, but more importantly, being around the kids."
The Phase Four guidelines permit having groups of 50 players. Dickerson is looking forward to working with his players and keep going in the right direction.
There is plenty to look forward to as well in the 2020 season, and it involves a major improvement at the Redbirds' long-time home field - Public School Stadium.
"You know, there's a lot of good things on our end," Dickerson said. "We're going to have turf installed at Public School Stadium, and the kids are really looking forward to being on that field."
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
