LHS Football Team Hits Practice Field

Players rifled through cardboard boxes of full of girdles, pads and pants inside Lexington High School's Field House. They tested different helmets and shoulder pads, squeezing the equipment on and off, looking for the one that would help them break a long touchdown run or make the key tackle.

By the time all sophomores were outfitted (seniority rules when picking up equipment), the Minutemen were finally ready to hit the practice field for the first time this season. Rain on Monday kept the team indoors, but on Tuesday it headed out to the turf fields at Lincoln Park.

Perhaps the most eager to get the new season under way is 86-year-old head coach Bill Tighe, who has led Lexington since 1975.

"This is the boring stuff," Tighe joked from inside the fieldhouse, where he was approached on a half-dozen occasions to square paperwork for a number of players.

Tighe is so looking forward to getting this season going because of the good feelings he has for his Minutemen. A talented group of about 30 players returns this fall from a team that went 6-5 last year.

The junior class is already one of the most talented he's coached, Tighe said.

"I'm really looking forward to this team," the coach said. "This is probably the most skilled group I've had. I've had skilled kids before, but never as many as I have now."

But he's not trying to build them up too much just yet. There's still much to prove before the Minutemen open the season on the road against Westford Academy on Sept. 10.

"I'm a guy who is always optimistic, but the schedule is brutal," Tighe said. "We're going to have our work cut out for us."

Lexington's home opener will be Sept. 16 against Concord-Carlisle High School in a rare Thursday afternoon matchup.

The Minutemen have three scrimmages scheduled: Saturday at Danvers High School, Aug. 31 at Billerica Memorial High and Sept. 4 at Longmeadow High School.

The first step toward getting ready for the opener was taken Tuesday, when the Minutemen headed to the Lincoln fields for practice. They opened with conditioning stations where players were put through and exhaustive set of drills including seat rolls and up-downs.

Players were then broken down into offensive positional drills.

For the Lexington coaching staff, it was the first chance to see team run through on-field activities.

The offensive line is pretty much set with a strong group of seniors, Tighe said. But the rest of the lineup is still open for competition.

Wednesday will be the final conditioning practice before the Minutemen strap on full pads beginning Thursday for the real run.

"That's when the football starts," Tighe said.