Recruiting with a former player to coach a winning season turned out to be a highlight of Dr. Greg Shepard's Career

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“The Hunter line averages 270 pounds and they can move,’ says Coach Shepard. Chris Laloni take full advantage of this massive hole. Laloni has 4.5 speed and averages over eight yards a carry, Reuniting with a former player to coach a winning season turned out to be a highlight of Dr. Greg Shepard's career One ofthe fascinating aspects of the game of Shepard, “I’m proud of Coach Wilcken — he’s Hunter High School is a relatively new school; football is that often there is fine line between a great coach, better than I ever was. And just winning and losing. Some call it luck. Indeed, like a father who wants to see his son surpass 1990, and classes started that fall.

Since then, his own accomplishments, it’s rewarding for enrollment has increased from 1,600 students me as a coach to see someone I’ve coached to 2,200 in grades 10-12, with approximately lose it, make the playoffs or clinch a state reach greater heights and do a better job than 86 teachers. The school services a community championship. At Hunter High School, the I did. Coach Wilcken loves his plavers and coaching staff found ways to make their own they are very fortunate to have him as a head suburban families, with approximately 28 luck. football coach.” percent of students coming from homes in which English is not the primary language.

This story begins last March, when BES CEO/ Founder Dr. Greg Shepard was preparing his weightlifting team, Team BFS, for the state The school is also developing a tradition of winning in athletics, as evidenced by its state championship victory in football in 2003. championship on April 16. It would be a tough challenge to win the team title, as the perennial champions, the Hercules Barbell School football players about joining Team Club, had won the team title 20 years out of BES, there was so much enthusiasm that he the past 24 years. To meet the challenge this was able to fill up most of the bodyweight year, Coach Shepard decided to visit Hunter classes.

After just a few training sessions on High School in West Valley City, Utah, to the Olympic lifts during their regular weight see head football coach Wes Wilcken about training workouts, Shepard knew he had a recruiting some of his athletes for Team BFS. team that would be a serious contender for a state championship. In fact, Shepard was so Wilcken was an All-American tight end who successful in recruiting that Team BFS has had played for Coach Shepard when he was become one of the largest weightlifting teams head coach at Granger High School in Salt in the country!

Lake City, Utah, from 1976 to 1977. Says bench presses 400, pi Sotele. Soteleis graceful, fluid, has4.5 speed and averages over eight yards per carry andhs cleans 245 pounds.

High's Offensive Line Preston Wood, Vilidmi Angilauy Pauli Latu/Ofa Filimoeatu and red Falepapalangi have been a dominant force in helping Huntet become one of the highest sil iteams in the nation.ya 11-800-1-20-97 Dual adjustable’ankle pat: for secure fit High-density thigh pad L6F W-30" hab" hundred and ninety-pound Vilami Augilau is as intense as they Co-captain Chris Laloni is an example of Hunter's legendary toughness. He has played all year ond bad knee that will & to have surgery after the season is over.

. ullback With gféat speed and good hands. ~ .

Atthe state: championsltips, each ofÏcial "

Quarterback Cade Cunningham was also on j feann roster was limited to just ten athletes reparing to announce his retirement again Because Coach Shepard is 63 and is deeply involved with ongoing business projects, he their results would nat count towards the team to leave the kids from Hunter High. title. Team BFS had a full team; Hercules decided he'd better limit himself to fielping with punt returns. Coach Wilken andi Special Barbell Club had a full team. Lifting in front of one of the largest crowds to ever attend reallly gotten into the lifting,” says Shepard.

state championships, every one of Shepard's “They were enthusiastic young men and were Shepard started his first practice as an ofÏcial lifters won first place. And as if the state extremely respectful to me, so I decided to talk Hunter High School football coaclt. Although to Coach Wilcken about helping him coach he had promised himself to: stick with just the High School athletes, Raymond Mulitalo and his football team.” This would be the first punt return teams, Shepard soon found that ‘Tuli Maea, broke alll the state records in their time Shepard bad coached in 28 years.

Weight classes! Everyone was fired up from the Of the very finest linebackersin the state leads Soni Sotele.

JBFS in-season program. “T did the workout the opposing team called Shepard to talk because it meant I'd be personally coaching about weight training, and he let it slip that sore, as some coaches would try to do in this his son’s team didn’t lift during the season. situation,” says Shepard. system still works!” get used to lifting again, perfect their form, picked up a weight was the first of August, so and reinforce their spotting techniques.” in my weekly motivational talk with our kids the BES core lifts such as the squat and power Senior and co-captain Juan Ayala says that the team we're going to play tonight — and clean. “The BES program is about gaining that’s a fact!

We've yotten stronger going from Shepard made to the strength program was point A to point B, and now they are below “T's not that way with our opponents — they to organize their workouts better so that each their original point A. And because we haven't settle for maintaining or even not working been content to just maintain, our offensive out at all.” Says senior and co-captain Jesse knew exactly what to do, and this resulted in and defensive lines are going to blow them a stronger work ethic. out of their shoes — and you can take that to were going to lift in-season I was very happy taught us to worry about the team, instead of because | love to lift!” yourself,” says Ayala.

Shepard saw immediate improvements among the Wolverine football players, especially in Shepard.

I told them, ‘We are absolutely stronger than the bank!”

Shepard was right: The score was 28-0 at the Although year-round training is key to the By week five Shepard saw that many of his success of the BFS program, Shepard's one players were stronger than they had been at exception was in insisting that his players zof the beginning of August. And by the end of work out during two-a-days, as he felt that it the regular season, almost all his players were season with an 8-1 regular season record and could cause overtraining. He told them, “It’s stronger in all the BFS core lifts. “We broke a was ranked as high as second in the state for just too much to ask and it’s not going to lot of records and we made a lot ofstrength several weeks.

At the time of this writing the work — trust me on this. We'll get back in the gains in season — that’s the BFS way!” And weightroom after two-a-days.” even better, the benefits of their training first two games of which will be played at half. [twas a blowout. carried over to the football field — by the ninth home. Shepard's on-field coaching efforts paid When the team was able to return to the BES game of the season they had lost only one off as his explosive punt-return team blocked game, bettering the previous year's record of or caused bad punts numerous times, with expected — he took it easy on them!

In the first three being returned for touchdowns or near workout he had them do just one set of five touchdowns. The “Hit Squat,” as the puntwith light weights; and in the second workout, Just prior to the eighth game of the regular return team is called, is also an extreme threat two sets. The next week they were into the full season, the father of one of the players from. on returning punts for touchdowns. eature article Sotele squatting Laloni spotting and ensure that they developed character.

For One special thing Coach Shepard did to motivate example, during the first week of practice Shepard the Wolverines was to have the team write and use Noticed that use of the F-word was very prevalent acreed. He posted the creed in the locker room, and was pleased to learn that many of the kids had minutes with the team addressing that topic. “] posted it in their bedrooms. The Wolverine Creed is guess my message must have hit home, because for as follows: the whole season the use of that terrible word has not been a problem, either with the JV team or the 1am a Hunter Wolverine! varsity,” s Shepard. during halftime about it, asking them, ‘How are we doing on the F-word?’

and they tell me, championship.

Shepard, the players on the other team are usi I will always place the goal first. it, but not your players.’ I was very pleased to he I will never accept defeat. [ will never that.”

[will never leave a teammate behind.

Asked what advice he would give to other coaches Iwill walk, talk, think, and act like that who work with young men, Shepard referred to successful person I want to be. a book written by Jeffrey Marx, Season of Life. “L used this phrase from the book with our players. engage and defeat every opponent. one answered, and many just looked at me with a I will live with honor both on and off the blank stare. “My job is to love you, and to help you with your dreams and goals. Your job is to become great young men.” That message really helped the 1 AM a Hunter Wolverine!

relationship the team and I have, because they know I'm sincere and proud to say that I love In addition to giving them the Wolverine Creed, them.”

Shepard did other things to motivate his players higher levels of speed and jumping ability. To get the most from plyometric training you must use boxes of the same height with a large finishing box. ‘This set-up enables you to explode off the ground as fast as possible, a key to developing explosiveness.

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From BFS Magazine — November/December 2005. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).