For a large portion of high school students, summer officially comes to an end Monday. It’s on Monday that the majority of the fall sports teams will begin their practice for the 2015 prep campaign. Only volleyball, which begins August 7, doesn’t begin Monday.

 

Monday morning, Bridgeport High School football Coach Josh Nicewarner will be looking to get a start on what could be a historic season. The Indians, the two-time defending Class AA champions, will begin practice at 8 a.m. They will have a second practice that day at 6 p.m. – both at Wayne Jamison Field.

 

The football team will go Monday through Wednesday with the 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. practices as well as Friday. On Thursday, the team will go from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. due to the BHS coaching staff needing to attend Big 10 Conference meetings. There will be time for breaks and a lunch that day.

 

Nicewarner said students need to have the proper grade point average, a physical form if they haven’t already turned one in and spikes. Although freshman football practice starts the following Monday – August 10 – he strongly encourages freshmen to show up Monday as well and participate.

 

Another state championship team will be hitting the official practice slate Monday. Exactly like the football team, the Bridgeport boys cross country squad, the two-time defending Class AA champions, will begin practice at 8 a.m. looking to start a journey for a third-straight championship. They will be joined Monday by their female counterparts.

 

As has become a tradition, the first practice will be at Bridgeport City Park and following the morning practice there will be the “Breakfast in the Park.” Coach Jon Griffith and the staff will provide and prepare the breakfast. A parents’ association meeting will be held that evening at 6 p.m. (check with your son or daughter for details on the meeting on Monday).

 

Students will have practice the rest of the week at 8 a.m. There will also be movie night at Griffith’s home on Aug. 5 or 6 with the exact date and time to be announced. On Saturday, practice will be at 9 a.m. in Morgantown where the athletes will also do shoe shopping.

 

Griffith said all athletes have to have had a 2.0 grade point average for the 2015 spring semester along with a current physical dated June 1, 2015 or later. On the first day, athletes are asked to bring a good pair of running shoes, water and are asked to wear a watch.

 

Although not returning off a state championship season, the Bridgeport High School cheerleading squad will begin practice Monday. The Indians under Coach Emilee Stout are coming off of back-to-back runner-up finishes in Class AA.

 

The team will held tryouts Monday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Monday and then again from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday. The tryouts are being held at Bridgeport High School.

 

The tryouts will end after Tuesday’s session. Stout said those the results of the tryouts will be posted that evening. The team will then practice from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. the rest of the week.

 

Stout reminds those trying out are asked to bring proper cheer shoes and waters. Athletes must have a 2.0 grade point average and a recent sports physical to cheer.

 

Learn about the start of soccer, golf and volleyball at this story by Julie Perine.