Finding relief at the end of a hot day By Josh Meltzer

It’s the second practice of the day. The baseball field at the base of the hill in front of Bath County High School traps the oppressive afternoon heat, and the surrounding woods block any breeze that might provide an ounce of relief.
For nearly two hours, the football team has been running drills, practicing handoffs, passing, tackling and blocking. During water breaks, they strain to see the clock on a business building across the street. It’s 2:55 p.m. and the sun is out.
They know it will be over soon, but they also know that they will finish practice as they do each day with running, hill sprints or the dreaded Charger Prides. For whatever energy remains in the players, the coaching staff will find a way to exhaust it before practice ends at 3:15.
Today it’s Charger Prides. Shoulder to shoulder the entire team begins running slowly in place, stomping their feet in a cloud of dust. On head coach Will Fields’ command, they drop flat to the hot dirt. And, just as fast, up again, jogging in place.
“Hup!” another coach yells, and it’s back to the ground. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Only the sounds of heavy breathing and moaning can be heard above another order.
“I see a lot of Chargers,” Fields screams out scanning his line of young men, “But I sure don’t see any pride. Hup!”
A whistle blows, and the players crawl to their feet again, first on their elbows, hands, knees and finally upright.
No one talks as they drag themselves up a steep hill to the locker room. Inside as players shuffle around each other to clean up, senior center Devin Duncan falls to the floor in front of a whirring fan. It will be many minutes before he brings himself to his feet again.
“It’s hot with a capital H,” Duncan says slumped on the locker room bench.

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