High school coaches take precautions

Adam Candee

Monday, Aug. 11, 2003 | 10:28 a.m.

At the high school level, precautions are also taken in order to ensure the safety of football athletes in the oppressive August heat.

Palo Verde coach Darwin Rost, who also serves as president of the Southern Nevada Football Coaches Association, said that coaches are informed about and are keenly aware of what needs to be done to protect their players.

First and foremost is the constant availability of water.

"We always make sure there's enough water for the kids," Rost said. "We make sure there is water right in everry huddle. The kids are told up front, there is water available at any time."

Rost schedules his practices in the morning to avoid the worst of the triple-digit Valley temperatures. While schedules vary by school, most coaches shy away from traditional two-a-day practices during the preseason.

Instead, many have gone to format of a shorter practice, followed by a brief break, and then another shorter practice.

The precautions do not end with practice. In all games throughout the month of September, there will be an extra officials' timeout built into every quarter to allow for a water break for players. That break, a staple for the past four years, will occur at the six-minute mark of each quarter.

Rost said that high school coaches really began to adjust their procedures about four years ago, when the from the national level down, a greater emphasis was placed on heat exhaustion and dehydration. With trainers present to keep an eye on players who might be struggling with the heat, coaches also feel safer.

"We have trainers at practice, and that really helps too," Rost said.