Tomahawks enjoy cooler weather to open football double sessions

MERRIMACK – It wasn’t quite the expected start to the football season, but the Merrimack High School players were happy to take it.

Double sessions in mid-August usually mean a lot of sweat, but Wednesday’s cool morning temperatures left the Tomahawks smiling.

“It’s definitely a lot cooler,” Merrimack senior Jackson King said. “When the sun’s out early in the morning, the dew starts evaporating from the ground and it’s so humid.”

Merrimack coach Joe Battista was glad to see the severe weather that hit Tuesday night stay away, but wouldn’t mind if the sun would appear for some of the sessions.

“I didn’t mind if it rained a little bit, since this time of year, it’s warm out,” he said. “When I saw possible thunder and lightning, I was worried about that. This is great. It’s great for (the players), but I’d like to see the sun out and have it be a little hotter, to be honest.”

Hot or not, Battista is happy with what he saw on the field in that first practice Wednesday. Numbers are about the same as a year ago, but those players have the dedication that the coaching staff was hoping to see.

“We’re about the same as we were last year as far as numbers,” Battista said. “I would love to have 10, 15 more players out. I have a small senior class, but the good news is I have a large sophomore class. That helps tremendously. Overall, the players that are here want to be here and they’re all workers. I wish I could find 10 more that wanted to work like that.”

The Tomahawks once again put in the work during the offseason, so much so that the coaches didn’t have to do much to get players into the weight room.

“We had an excellent offseason again,” Battista said. “The team, that’s what they do now. They work out now. There’s no getting after them, they’re just there (in the weight room). The seniors were the leaders among that. I don’t have to chase people around. That’s what they do now.”