Hennessey decompresses before defending title

Hennessey quarterback Trey Leu (18) holds up his helmet as walks over to the Hennessey fans after the Class 2A high school football championship game between Hennessey and Davis at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, December 11, 2010. Hennessey won, 14-0. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com

Defending Class 2A state champions Hennessey didn’t get much time off before Tuesday’s practices began.

Like many schools now, Hennessey’s summer weightlifting program ran through last week, leaving just a weekend of down time before preseason workouts officially kicked off.

So to get his team’s mind off football at least briefly, Eagles coach Shannon Watford took his team out Friday for a day of relaxation. The players went to White Water Bay before going for a team dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.

“It’s just to kind of get them together for some fun times before the storm,” Watford said.

In past years, the team has gone to RedHawks games and floated the Illinois River.

Tuesday, though, the team was all business.

“It went really well for the first day,” Watford said. “The cooler weather helped but our kids are in good shape.”