Pirates complete 48 to State run

BRADEN RIVER — With undoubtedly its toughest schedule on the horizon, the Braden River High football team spent the summer trying to stay 100 yards ahead of its competition.

Even if it meant tackling a new challenge that at first glance appeared to be nothing short of impossible.

For the past seven weeks, the Pirates have been building up their endurance and mental and physical toughness in preparation for their 48 to State run. And on Aug. 3, the team piled onto the football field to face its challenge head on.

The 48 to State run was divided into four quarters with each quarter consisting of 12 100-yard sprints; and despite the intense heat, the Pirates successful completed their challenge, running 48 100-yard sprints in one hour, 10 minutes.

“It just shows our brotherhood,” linebacker Keith Grafton said. “We work harder than anyone else and we’re tougher than anyone else.”

The Pirates have been building up to the 48 to State run since the Pirates coaching staff initially challenged them at the start of the summer.

“At first when we learned we were going to start off with 12 and end with 48, we thought that sounds impossible, but every week got easier and easier, and we pushed ourselves harder and harder,” Grafton said. “It’s nothing now, and I kind of wish we could add more on.”

The team ran 12 sprints the first week and gradually worked its way up to 48 by adding six more sprints to the total each week.

“With the schedule we’re going to have to play, we needed to do something that hopefully none of our competition would be doing this season,” coach Ed Volz said.

“We sold them on being different. This is a special hardworking group. It’s unbelievable. The ones out here are the ones who have been out here every day at 7 a.m.”

So how did the coaching staff settle on 48? The answer is simple.

There are 48 minutes in a high school football game; and if the Pirates are going to be successful again this season, then they’re going to have to play for the full 48 minutes every week.

 “Playing the schedule that we have to play … if we want to get back to the playoffs, then we’re going to have to go out and play the full 48 minutes every Friday night,” Volz said.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].