WASHINGTON — School is no longer in session, dead period is over and the next phase of summer workouts means one step closer to football season. The Pam Pack football team had their first summer workout on Thursday afternoon.

The Pam Pack football team has added over 2,200 pounds of combined weight to their football players since April of 2017 according to Washington’s offensive coordinator, Perry Owens.

“The kids come out and they know we’re going to run, lift, and hit the practice field. Our kids have bought into the culture and bought into the way we do things,” head coach Jon Blank said. “It feels like almost a completely different team compared to the last two years, just by the way kids approach every workout that we have.”

The Pam Pack football players participated in a workout before they took the field to do some running, and prepare for a passing league 7-on-7 next Wednesday morning at South Central High School.

Pam Pack’s senior offensive tackle and defensive end Stephen Hartley was excited to get to work because he knows how much the workouts will help the team as a unit.

“It’s going to help us improve in a lot of places on the field,” Hartley said. “Before (Coach Blank) got here, we didn’t have anybody over 300 pounds.”

The current coaching staff knew that changing the culture at Washington and in the weight room was what the team needed if they wanted to see some improvement.

“We chart all of our progress throughout the year, and when you look at the numbers that improved in the weight room and the speed numbers as well as height and weight, it makes you really optimistic about (the future),” Blank said. “Especially after the JV team won the conference last year and had a really great season. We’re really seeing the leadership develop in the right way this year.”

Coach Owens talked about the accountability his players own, as they all have a group leader at each weight rack. Each rack has a sheet that shows how much players should be lifting according to their own weight.

“We just need to focus this year on getting more stops, and starting the game faster. We can’t just start slow and try to turn it up late anymore,” Pam Pack cornerback Joel Garner said his team needs to focus on heading into next season.

Coach Blank echoed his players’ statement, adding that his team needs to be able to battle through any rough stretches of a game or during the season.

“We have to be able to overcome adversity and win the tight ball games,” Blank said. “In the last two seasons we’ve lost about eight ball games by a touchdown or less. That makes all the difference in the world when you’re trying to get into the playoffs and get a good seed.”