The spring football season has come and gone. With the weather warming and the spring showers falling, football players both old and new experienced a taste of the upcoming fall season.

Coach Dixon came to Palmetto from Varela, ready to change and enhance the football program. Instead of starting the spring season with routine physical training, Dixon decided to train the players mentally for the hard work, strenuous activities and dedication that were going to be expected of them in the future. With workouts both on the field and in the weight room, several players gradually quit the program; after the eagerly awaited spring game on May 29, only the truly dedicated remained. After all, they had worked months for it.

The “Spring Game” was originally scheduled the prior week, but due to poor weather conditions and thunderstorms, the game was cancelled. In spite of Memorial Day weekend, the last three-day weekend of the year, occurring two days later, the players didn’t shut down; Dixon quickly scheduled practice that following Friday and Monday although many players were ready to bask in the sun at the beach. Even though the final spring game was cancelled again due to inclement weather, the varsity squad played for nearly two quarters.

The players’ dedication was truly tested this spring season through weekend practices, Monday formal wear and strenuous training. In retrospect, the players wouldn’t have had it any other way. Dixon may have been tough, but each player was transformed into a dedicated athlete. Football changed from a “pick-up game” to a passion. The remaining players are destined for greatness as they conquer every obstacle as it comes. Dixon taught his young athletes that sports are not merely about the championships and finals, but about the life lessons that accompany the experience.

The year is winding down and so are school sports, but the football team is only on a temporary pause; summer workouts and two-a-days will begin promptly once the final bell rings. Once again, football players wearing their jerseys will proudly scatter our home field as they prepare for the upcoming season – the season that they have worked for all year.