Meet the 2019 football Huskies on Aug. 22

Head Coach Matt Hennesy voiced enthusiasm Monday about the beginning of preseason football practice for the 2019 Pawhuska Huskies. Hennesy said the Huskies will be having their daily practices from 6-9 p.m. this week so that players can get accustomed to the heat.

Next week, workouts will move to 3 p.m., he said. Hennesy said he will have 40 players this year and everyone who is returning is bigger, faster and stronger than they were a year ago. The 2018 team, which finished 6-5, was Hennesy’s first Huskies squad. The school moved to 1A in football last year, brought in a new coaching staff and saw a rebound from a 0-10 season in 2017. It didn’t hurt, either, that the 2018 Huskies had a brand-new turf field to play on and enthusiastic home crowds.

The big preseason dates to pencil into your personal calendar are Aug. 22 and Aug. 23.

At 6 p.m. Aug. 22, there will be a parent meeting at the Ormond Beach Stadium for the parents and guardians of students who will be playing either junior high school or varsity football.

Then, at 7 p.m. there will be a Meet The Huskies activity at the stadium. It will be an opportunity to meet players and cheerleaders. There will be food. Admission is $5.

The next evening, at 6 p.m, at Ormond Beach Stadium, a preseason scrimmage event is scheduled. The Pawhuska Huskies will participate, along with Nowata and the Tulsa Union sophomores.

“It’s been a great summer,” Hennesy said, noting that 28 of the 40 varsity players for 2019 had perfect attendance at summer workouts. All 40 had an attendance rate of at least 90%.

Hennesy also praised his fellow Pawhuska Public Schools athletic coaches for the spirit of cooperation they have demonstrated in making sure that schedules did not overlap and athletes were able to be present when each coach had an event scheduled.

“We’re all going to work together. We’re one big team,” he said.