When the clock struck midnight, prep madness officially kicked off in Utah Monday.
Amidst the glow of the moon on a clear, dark night, West Jordan High School began practicing football - several hours before any of their counterparts on the first day of full-contact drills."This may be nutty, but it feels real special," Jaguars coach Rick Bojak said minutes before the first day of practice rolled around. "Hopefully, it's a great kickoff for us."
Tabbed as one of the state's preseason favorites in the 5A classification, the Jags have adopted a "first in everything" mentality.
While reeling off various advantages, such as cooler temperatures and eliminating restlessness, to his "midnight madness" practice session, Bojak admitted: "I always wanted to be the first guy up."
All 86 Utah prep football teams, including newcomers Fremont in Plain City and Snow Canyon in St. George, were expected to begin preparations today for next week's opening contests.
However, only one chose to get started at midnight.
"Every year we try to change something," said Bojak. "We always want to add a little excitement. It keeps everyone motivated. You can see it in the kids."
Only two of the 65 varsity gridders, seniors and juniors, showed up late for the college basketball-inspired opening session. Several dozens boosters were on hand to witness the unique event.
"It's great," said senior quarterback C.J. Bateman. "We couldn't wait to be out here, so why not be out here now?
"We just want to get out there and hit," he added.
West Jordan players returned to the field this morning after working out for more than an hour under the midnight sky. The Jaguars hope to "get a slight jump on the competition" with the timely start.
"We hope this may give us some special help in the hard road ahead," Bojak noted.
West Jordan will assume a more traditional practice schedule as the Aug. 26 preseason opener at Jordan draws closer.
The prep campaign kicks off Thursday, Aug. 25 along the Wasatch Front when Alta travels to Kearns.
Skyline (5A), Pleasant Grove (4A), Union (3A), Morgan (2A) and Milford (1A) are the defending state champions.