The football Braves have built a tradition at Montezuma.
The 2022 Braves have been working to add to it.
“We had a really good turnout at workouts this summer,” said Coach John Beck. “We averged 30 to 35 young men a day. This includes all programs with the school, 7-12,” he said.
“I was very pleased with the effort and turnout we had,” Beck said.
Everyone knows the post-Eddie Burgess era begins with the Week 0 game against Iowa Valley. But possibly not everyone knows that Montezuma’s talent cupboard wasn’t left bare after the all-state quarterback and defender left for Upper Iowa University. More specifics Montezuma’s current crop of players in future stories . . .
Beck said the Braves were ready to hit the ground running when practices began Aug. 1.
“Speed and mobility were major points of emphasis for our workouts,” Beck said.
“We were able to collect a lot of data on our kids because of a new timing system that the Blue & White Athletic Boosters bought for the athletic department,” Beck said.
“We were able to get instant feedback on times and this really helped to fuel competition,” said the coach. “We saw many guys improve their times and we had accurate data to beck that up.”
Many student-athletes attend summer camps in their sport of choice. “We had a light summer with camps as we really focused internally with out program to try to get better at techniques,” Beck said.
“We had one player, Tod Geiger, who went to camps at Iowa and Upper Iowa, where he did well against some high-level competition,” Beck said.
“Tod had a lot of fun and was even able to bring back a few drills that we have incorporated into our routine,” said the coach.
The Braves won their first 10 games last season, before falling to a very fast Audubon team in the playoffs.
“I am really excited to see how the guys play this year. They have put in a lot of work and are really motivated to continue the strong tradition we have here at Montezuma,” Beck said.
Varsity Football
Fri., Aug. 19 – Iowa Valley, 7 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 26 – HLV, 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 2 – Grand View Christian, 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 9 – at BGM, 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 16 – Melcher-Dallas, 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 23 – at Southeast Warren, 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 30 – at Twin Cedars, 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 7 – Baxter, 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 14 – Woodward Academy, 7 p.m.