With fall sports on the horizon, many teams are anxious to kick off their seasons and gain as much practice time as possible. The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) regulations detail that fall sports practices cannot technically begin until Aug. 14.

For most schools, teams wait until 3 p.m. after an inservice day to begin working, but for the football team, this means getting out on the field as soon as the clock strikes midnight.

“It’s the idea that we are excited to be here. We’re so excited that we are going to be out here working while everybody else is sleeping,” head coach Chris Jaax said.

After Jaax considered the idea, his leadership council made up of ten varsity players voted to begin the season a little different than years past. A practice that begins the minute KSHSAA allows student athletes to practice.

“It was something I thought of before. When they brought it up, I asked them if it was really something that they wanted to do. There’s very few things that they’ve unanimously voted on, and they felt it was a good opportunity for us to take advantage of the beginning of the season. We are excited for the season and are not missing a minute of time,” Jaax said.

As one of the only teams in the area that held a midnight practice, Jaax believes it was another way for the team to bond and was something to be proud of. Senior Kaden Davis admits that the team had high spirits the first night on the field.

“I felt that there was more energy because not everybody was all tired, and it’s more fun to play under the lights, like you would in a game setting,” Davis said.

After the team’s high morale during the Monday morning practice, freshman Ben Schmidt found another reason to be dedicated to the game.

“It made me want to come back more, instead of staying home because you get to go out and play with your buddies the best sport in the world,” Schmidt said.

The Railers will kick off their season at home on Sept. 1 against Maize.