[Orange Blaze]

The 2001 season at Raceland was one of the most excruciating experiences of my life. We had just came off of a 1-9 season which still stands as the worst season in school history. I think out coaches tried to kill us that summer. We started off the summer by loading up the whole team of about 40 players on a school bus and drive to Valdosta Georgia for camp. We drove all night and once we got there we got straight off the bus for practice in the hot Georgia summer in mid-June. The whole time we were there, we practiced for 8 hours a day for 5 days straight.

When we made it home it was the dead period and we were off for a few weeks. After the dead period we started practice in pads and we stayed outside from 4-10PM with a twenty minute break to go inside at 6:00. In 2001 you didn't have to wait until August to go in pads and you could start in late July. That last month of summer until school started was just terrible. We had guys walk off and quit and one guy even passed out from heat exhaustion. The rules about being in the heat were not as strict then and they could get away with more. Looking back it was not safe what we went through that year and I would never wish that experience on anyone.