Living after midnight
Mustangs bring back tradition of 12 o’clock practice
While most of Uniontown was sleeping comfortably in their beds, Laurel Highlands had the stadium lights on at Mustang Field, the music blasting from the PA system and fans in the stadium as head coach Ian Edenfield had his players hitting when the clock struck midnight on early Monday morning for the first official football practice of the season.
Edenfield, a 2018 graduate of Laurel Highlands High School who was hired on May 12 to lead the football program, admitted that the idea of hosting a “Midnight Madness” practice at LH was first done when Zach Just coached the team.
“I thought tonight was good,” Edenfield said. “We probably got out before any team in the WPIAL. It was fun and we had a bunch of people come out and watch. Even if people weren’t in the stands or inside the stadium, they were on the outside looking in.
“We have a younger staff and most of us played together at one time or another, so our guys are really eager to get going. Coach (Cedric) Lloyd is our veteran coach of the group, and it is nice to have someone who has been in the coaching game for a number of years to provide a mix of younger coaches and veterans.”
Edenfield was pleased with his team’s work during the summer months, and after a week of heat acclimatization, he wanted to gauge how his players would respond to contact, which started promptly at midnight.
“Who’s going to be physical, know their job and give great effort were the three big things we were looking for tonight,” Edenfield said.
The effort was there during the first practice, but Edenfield and his staff saw a mixed bag in regard to execution.
“I saw a lot of good things and a lot of bad things tonight,” Edenfield said. “I told them, ‘It’s a little different now. The lights were on, there were fans in the stands, there was music playing and a lot of outside noise going on.’ A lot of them weren’t ready for that, right off the bat, but they better be in a couple of weeks.”
The practice had the feeling of a game with the cheerleaders performing and the concession stand being in use. Edenfield wanted that atmosphere to provide his players with a lack of varsity experience to get a feel of playing under the lights on Friday nights.
Edenfield had plenty of experience under the lights, as he starred for the Mustangs on the gridiron prior to playing at PennWest California and Oklahoma State. Edenfield was also an all-state wrestler (second and fifth in the state) for Laurel Highlands, as he competed independently under the coaching of his father, Chris, and also played baseball for the Mustangs.
The former Big 12 product is on the list as a substitute at Laurel Highlands, and plans on being at the school every day to make sure his players are representing the football team in a positive manner.
The Mustangs have a scrimmage on Saturday at Highlands prior to opening the season at home on Aug. 28 against Mount Pleasant.