In football, physical strength is important.
However, according to Happy Valley Warriors assistant coach Adam Copeland, mental toughness may be more crucial when a game comes down to the wire.
And that is why Copeland and the HV coaching staff had their players fight through the Warrior’s Challenge Thursday.
The Warriors didn’t have an easy day. Their challenge included carrying two telephone poles from the football field at the high school around Happy Valley Middle School, down the hill, and to the practice field. At the bottom, the Warriors had to go through a gauntlet of workouts. The players took a small break to rehydrate before carrying the poles back up the hill, around the jr. high and back to the football field.
“They did great,” said Copeland. “It was a great team building exercise. You see it a lot in football where kids may be physically strong enough to compete but not mentally tough enough. I told the boys that if they find themselves wanting to quit during a game to think back to the Warrior’s Challenge and how they were able to finish it.”
It is the second year the Warriors have done the challenge, and Copeland developed the excise from his experience with the Marines. Happy Valley head coach Jason Jarrett was thrilled to see his boys working hard Thursday.
“Adam (Copeland) does a great job,” said Jarrett. “We love it when we can do some team building with the players, and the challenge was a great team building exercise.”
The Warriors will open the 2017 season on Aug. 18 at Volunteer.
Happy Valley will be hosting a Meet the Warriors event on Aug. 5 at the high school football field. There will be a spaghetti supper at $7 or donation per meal. There will also be an inflatable obstacle course for kids.