Contrary to conventional opinion, high school football championships are not won or lost on Friday nights in the fall. The players know that games are really won in the offseason when they make the commitment to work hard in the weight room.

Fortunately for the Golden Eagles, they have a great weight training and off-season conditioning program in place.

Johnny Franco, the former Tyrone football standout and son of Tyrone head coach John Franco, has taken on the role of the team’s off-season strength and conditioning coach.

So far, he likes what he sees.

“Participation has been much better than I anticipated,” said Franco, “With so many athletes playing multiple sports, it’s sometimes hard to get a great draw over the winter. The group’s hard work and dedication have made off-season training so much fun as a coach.”

Franco says that there has been a core group of 10-12 players who have been showing up week in and week out, and he is pleased with the progress they have made.

“Every player that has participated consistently has improved in their strength, explosiveness, flexibility, and mental toughness,” said Franco, “Even the guys with zero experience have made gains. It’s a true testament to the leadership within the group. The players have held each other accountable and coached each other throughout our time together.

Franco describes the training program as “dynamic.” Athletes work the full body in different ways each week. Starting with an explosive warm-up and finishing with different auxiliary exercises that build the posterior chain.

“We do this while still being able to stick to the “Big 3,” bench, squat, deadlift as our main lifts,” said Franco.

One of the strongest players on the team is junior offensive lineman Dylon Brower, who said even though lifting is hard work, it’s also fun to spend time in the weight room with his teammates.

“It really builds chemistry between the players on the team. When you see all of your teammates really pushing themselves you build a much bigger bond with them,” said Brower.

Brower is very pleased with the personal gains he has made so far this off-season.

“My endurance and flexibility have improved by a large margin,” said Brower. “It’s going to be hard to see how much it’s helping until the season starts, but I can already tell that everyone’s explosiveness has improved.”

Participation has been good, but Franco would still like to see more athletes show up, especially the younger ones.

“The earlier you can get started the better. My advice to younger athletes would be to work on the basics now, so you will be ready to lift bigger weight in the future. Flexibility and technique are the most important aspects for younger athletes to consider before trying to lift heavyweight,” said Franco.

Lifting is every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 pm to around 7:30 in the high school weight room. All interested students are invited to attend.