The not-so-lazy days of summer

Music blared as the sounds of weights clanking permeated the South Kitsap High School weight room Wednesday evening.

It’s still summer, but the relaxed atmosphere of football players lifting weights soon turned into a testosterone-ladened spectacle.

It was the final day of testing and all the players were ready to show coaches they not only improved over the summer but they were ready to make their mark in the school record books.

Senior Josh O’Donnell approached the bar with 405 pounds of metal awaiting.

Destined to succeed, his face was painted with determination.

Surrounded by teammates pumping him up with energy, O’Donnell mustered enough strength to finish his 10th and final repetition.

His look of determination was soon wiped clean and replaced with relief and excitement.

His lift propelled him into an exclusive 1,000-pound club, which is the combined weight lifted in the squat, clean, and bench press.

The maximum lift is determined not by the weight on the bar, but the amount of reps of a designated weight.

It is through a mathematical formula that a maximum lift is computed.

In O’Donnell’s case, his maximum squat was listed at 514, which is just 13 pounds off of making the SK top 10 list.

Every year a handful of SK players usually reach the 1,000-pound club after summer testing.

But it will be a more exclusive club this year, SK coach D.J. Sigurdson said.

Sigurdson said the summer testing is what gives him a big indication of who will fill various positions.

“We’re evaluating them, and they’re trying to get stronger,” Sigurdson said. “It’s an important part of what we do.”

The summer testing results give Sigurdson a measuring stick, but it also acts as a safety litmus test.

Because the offensive and defensive line is depleted because of graduation, Sigurdson will have to used under-sized linemen this year.

Size can be overcome if players show their strength in the weightroom.

“We’ll have fewer kids make 1,000 (pounds) than last year,” Sigurdson said. “But overall, the kids have improved over the summer.”

Chris Anderson earned bragging rights in the bench press this year, and put himself on SK’s top 10 list.

The junior linebacker pressed 325 pounds to tie Ryan Cole for seventh on the list.

O’Donnell was second on the team with a maximum lift of 286 pounds.

Senior Nick Anderson cleaned 266 pounds to earn the top mark this year.

Jared Balstad and Steven Razey were next in line with a max of 254 pounds.

While the weights testing concluded Wednesday, Sigurdson conducted the speed and agility tests Friday after press time.

Going into the testing, Sigurdson said he expected Nick Anderson to crack the top 10 in vertical leap and the I-agility test.

The other test is the 40-yard dash.

Senior Victor Valle, who currently holds the 10th best 40-yard dash time was looking to improve upon his 4.65 seconds.

Valle also entered the I-agility test with high hopes.

It was at the Nike Football Camp in Portland he earned the top mark (3.88 seconds) in the 20-yard shuttle.

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