Belton-Honea Path High School knows what it takes to win -- a lot!

INNING A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IS THE EPITOME OF JUST ABOUT EVERY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PROGRAMS DREAMS 4HE "EARS OF "ELTON (ONEA 0ATH (IGH 3CHOOL IN (ONEA 0ATH 3OUTH #AROLINA TOOK THEIR PLAY ONE STEP HIGHER WITH AN UNDEFEATED SEASON &IFTEEN GAMES lFTEEN WINS n IT SIMPLY DOESNT GET BETTER THAN THAT ,EADING THE "EARS TO THIS LEVEL OF GREATNESS IS HEAD FOOTBALL COACH 7AYNE 'REEN WHO HAS BEEN WITH THE SCHOOL FOR lVE YEARS h) INHERITED A GOOD COACHING STAFF AND THEN ) WAS ABLE TO HIRE A COUPLE OF COACHES v SAYS 'REEN h4HE lRST PERSON ) HIRED WAS STRENGTH COACH 2USSELL "LACKSTON (ES THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY ADMINISTERS OUR WEIGHT PROGRAM n HES THE ARCHITECT BEHIND OUR STRENGTH PROGRAMv )N TERMS OF 8S AND /S 'REEN SAYS HE MADE LITTLE CHANGES IN THE DEFENSE BUT SWITCHED TO A DIFFERENT SYSTEM OFFENSIVELY !LTHOUGH THE FOOTBALL TEAM IS AT THE TOP OF ITS GAME 'REEN SAYS HES NOT CONCERNED THAT SOME OF THE PLAYERS MIGHT GET COMPLACENT h7E GRADUATED STARTERS SO WEVE GOT A BUNCH OF YOUNG GUYS AND OUR SENIOR CLASS FROM THIS PAST FOOTBALL SEASON DElNITELY RAISED THE BAR FOR US AS FAR AS EXPECTATIONS GO 7E HAD SOME SUCCESS IN THE PAST BUT IT WASNT ANYTHING LIKE THIS /UR YOUNGER PLAYERS WHO WERE A PART OF THIS FOOTBALL TEAM GOT A TASTE OF IT AND THEY WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TASTE IT AGAINv 4HE FANS ALSO LIKE THE TASTE OF WINNING h4HE FANS ARE TREMENDOUS HERE FROM THE ADMINISTRATORS TO THE TEACHERS TO THE STUDENTS v SAYS 'REEN h4HIS IS A SMALL RURAL COMMUNITY BUT WE TOOK ABOUT PEOPLE TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 7E ALSO HAVE AN EXCELLENT BOOSTER CLUB 4HEY HELP US WITH A lSHING TOURNAMENT GOLF TOURNAMENTS AND FOOTBALL CONCESSION STANDS n THEY DO AN AWFUL LOT OF HARD WORKv "ARRY "(0 OFFENSIVE LINEMAN "ARRY (UMPHRIES ;= BLOCKS AN OPPOSING LINEMAN FROM 7ESTSIDE .EW 3CHOOL &OOTBALL 'REEN SAYS THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SINCE HE STARTED COACHING YEARS AGO IS CONDITIONING 0HOTO COURTESY $EBBIE 2OGERS "ELTON AND (ONEA 0ATH .EWS #HRONICLE h7EIGHTLIFTING WASNT AS IMPORTANT THEN AS IT IS NOW ESPECIALLY IN SEASON LIFTING 4ODAY WEIGHT TRAINING IS A YEAR ROUND COMMITMENTv !LTHOUGH 'REENS FOCUS IS FOOTBALL HE BELIEVES ITS IMPORTANT FOR HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES TO COMPETE IN MULTIPLE SPORTS h7E HAVE A LOT OF THREE SPORT ATHLETES AND WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE OUR ATHLETES TO BE INVOLVED IN AS MANY SPORTS AS POSSIBLEv !S A RESULT OF THE SCHOOLS YEAR ROUND WEIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM AND EMPHASIS ON MULTI SPORTS ALL SPORTS AT "ELTON (ONEA 0ATH (IGH 3CHOOL HAVE BENElTED 3AYS 'REEN h-ANY OF OUR FOOTBALL PLAYERS GO INTO WRESTLING OR BASKETBALL AND FROM THERE INTO OUR SPRING SPORTS 3O THERES A LOT OF COMPETITION FOR OUR PLAYERS TIME 4HE YEAR ROUND STRENGTH PROGRAM ALONG WITH OUR SPEED AND AGILITY PRO GRAMS IS CERTAINLY HELPING ALL OUR SPORTSv "LACKSTON SAYS THAT ALTHOUGH HES TRIED A LOT OF OTHER STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROGRAMS HES DECIDED THAT "&3 IS BEST FOR HIS SITUATION h) MUST HAVE CALLED EVERY COACH IN !MERICA TO HELP ME DESIGN A PROGRAM THAT WAS BEST FOR US AND SOMEBODY lNALLY TOLD ME TO TALK WITH "&3 CLINICIAN *IM "ROWN ) TALKED WITH HIM ON THE PHONE AFTER WE GOT BEAT IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS ) THINK 4HEN ) TOOK THE "&3 PROGRAM TO #OACH 'REEN AND SAID THAT "&3 WAS WHAT ) WANTED TO DO AND WE STARTED THE PROGRAM IN *ANUARY AT FULL SPEEDv 7HAT SETS "&3 APART h)VE DONE A LOT OF PROGRAMS SINCE )VE BEEN COACHING AND THE ONE THING ) LOVE ABOUT "IGGER &ASTER 3TRONGER IS ITS STRUCTURE n THE KIDS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO EVERY DAY v SAYS "LACKSTON (E ALSO SAYS HE LIKES THE IDEA OF GOING FOR AS MANY REPS AS POSSIBLE ON THE LAST SET OF EVERY EXERCISE h4HIS TELLS YOU A LOT ABOUT THE KID n WHAT HES GOING TO DO FOR YOU ON THE lELD )F HE lGHTS FOR THAT EXTRA REP IN THE WEIGHTROOM HES GOING TO lGHT FOR THAT EXTRA INCH ON THE PLAYING lELDv 0HOTO COURTESY $EBBIE 2OGERS "ELTON AND (ONEA 0ATH .EWS #HRONICLE !NOTHER ADVANTAGE OF THE "&3 PROGRAM SAYS "LACKSTON IS THAT ITS PRACTICAL h4HERE ARE PROGRAMS OUT THERE THAT WILL GET YOU STRONGER QUICKER THAN THE "&3 PROGRAM BUT THE THING THAT PEOPLE DONT UNDERSTAND IN THE HIGH SCHOOL SETTING IS THAT WE ONLY HAVE OUR KIDS FOR A LIMITED TIME 9OU CANT DO SEVEN SETS OF BENCH PRESSES IN A HIGH SCHOOL SETTING 9OU CANT DO SEVEN SETS OF SQUATS 9OU CAN DO THREE TO lVE SETS &OR AN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN IN COLLEGE ) WOULD PROBABLY CHANGE PROGRAMS BUT FOR A HIGH SCHOOL SETTING THERES NOTHING ANYTHING BETTER THAN "&3v 2UNNING BACK -ARIO 'LENN OUTRUNS 7OODRUFF DEFENDERS TO PICK UP A "(0 FIRST DOWN 4HE SCHOOL HAS BEEN USING THE "&3 PROGRAM FOR ONLY ABOUT A YEAR BUT "LACKSTON SAYS h4HE RESULTS HAVE BEEN AMAZING 7EVE ALWAYS HAD A COUPLE OF STRONG KIDS BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS THE STRONG KIDS HAVE GOTTEN STRONGER AND THOSE @MIDDLE OF THE ROAD KIDS HAVE CAUGHT UP TO WHERE OUR STRONG KIDS "(0S "ARRY (UMPHRIES SQUATS POUNDS TO WIN THE 2EGION 3TRENGTH -EET AND SET A NEW SCHOOL RECORD WERE 9OURE ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE ONE OR TWO STUDS BUT NOW WE HAVE OR STUDS ON OUR TEAMv %VEN BETTER NEWS IS THAT SINCE THE SCHOOL IMPLEMENTED THE "&3 PROGRAM NOT A SINGLE PLAYER HAS MISSED A GAME DUE TO INJURY !S FOR LIFTING STATS "LACKSTON SAYS THAT SINCE HE WANTS TO DEVELOP BALANCED ATHLETES THEIR AWARDS ARE BASED ON THE TOTAL OF THE BENCH SQUAT AND POWER CLEAN h7HEN WE lRST GOT INTO LIFTING AND WERE GIVING OUT 4 SHIRTS WE HAD KIDS WHO WERE STRIVING FOR THE BENCH SHIRT OR THE BENCH SHIRT n THEY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE SQUAT SHIRT OR THE SQUAT SHIRTv 4HE RESULTS h7E NOW HAVE ATHLETES IN THE CLUB IN THE CLUB IN THE CLUB IN THE CLUB IN THE CLUB AND IN THE CLUBv 4O KEEP THE TEAMS MOTIVATION HIGH "LACKSTON HAS POSTED WEIGHTLIFTING CHARTS ON THE WALLS OF THE WEIGHTROOM h%VERY TIME THERES A MAX THE RESULTS ARE POSTED AND WE HAVE THEM RANKED BY CLASS n ITS ALL PART OF THE "&3 COMPUTER PROGRAM 7E HAVE THEM COMPETING AGAINST EACH OTHER AND THEYRE COMPETING AGAINST THEIR PERSONAL BESTS EVERY DAY v SAYS "LACKSTON )N ADDITION TO SETTING HIGH STANDARDS IN THE WEIGHTROOM #OACH 'REEN ALSO EXPECTS HIGH STANDARDS OFF THE lELD /NE PART OF HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IS OBSERVING THE BEHAVIOR OF PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES h7E TALK ABOUT IT 7HEN THERES A BIG NEWS STORY ABOUT A PROFESSIONAL WHOS DONE SOMETHING THEY SHOULDNT HAVE OR A REPORT ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO IS RECOGNIZED FOR DOING SOMETHING GOOD WE TALK ABOUT IT 7E ALSO HAVE A SESSION THATS CALLED h&ROM THE (EART v WHERE WE LET A COACH GET UP AND TALK ABOUT CHARACTER TRAITS )M PROUD TO SAY WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS GROUP OF YOUNG MEN WHO ARE STRONG PHYSICALLY SPIRITUALLY AND EMOTIONALLY n AND ALL THAT TRANSLATES INTO A GREAT FOOTBALL TEAMv 4HE ONE THING ) LOVE ABOUT "IGGER &ASTER 3TRONGER IS ITS STRUCTUREˆTHE KIDS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO EVERY DAY ^3TRENGTH #OACH 2USSELL "LACKSTON "%!4 4(% #/-054%2 4HE MOST EFFECTIVE 3ET 2EP #OMPUTER 3YSTEM EVER CREATED +2:,7:25.6 $WKOHWHVILOORXWDIRUPOLVWLQJFXUUHQWFRUH DX[LOLDU\OLIWV (QWHUWKHVFRUHVLQWRWKHFRPSXWHU,WWKHQFDOFXODWHV WKHSURSHUOLIWLQJZHLJKWIRUHDFKVHWDQGFUHDWHVWKH ZHHNO\ZRUNRXWEDVHGRQWKHDWKOHWH·VXQLTXHVFRUHV 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From BFS Magazine — May/June 2005. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).