But for football coaches and players in the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association, the unforgiving practices in sweltering temperatures are the ultimate sacrifice for a DCIAA championship.

With three weeks remaining until the start of the 2001-02 season, 10 varsity football teams in the DCIAA have their sights set on the same goal: a chance to play for the city championship in the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Day.

Perennial powerhouse and DCIAA three-time defending champion Dunbar Senior High School will be tough once again in the Western Division of the DCIAA, while the race for the Eastern Division title could be up for grabs until the final week of the season.

This year five teams will continue to make up the Western Division, but the Eastern Division will drop to five teams with the consolidation of the Phelps and Spingarn high school squads.

DCIAA practices started Aug. 8, and teams will begin non-league play Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

DUNBAR: Dunbar Head Coach Craig Jeffries said the Crimson Tide will still be the team to beat in 2001.

"Do not expect us to miss a beat," he said.

This could be a bad sign for the other teams in the DCIAA, all trying to unseed the defending league champions.

Despite losing two All-DCIAA selections - quarterback Josh Cribbs to Kent State University and safety Marcus Winbush to the University of Maryland - Jeffries said Dunbar will return several key Division I prospects.

"I am excited about this season," said Jeffries, who is entering his sixth season as Dunbar head coach. "We’re our own worst enemy. We have to play like we are supposed to."

Michael Davis will take over the quarterback duties for the Crimson Tide. Dunbar returns four offensive linemen from last season’s 9-3 campaign, providing Davis with much-needed protection up front.

"We are big on the offensive and defensive line," Jeffries said. "We have guys who can step up and take over."

Dunbar, 5-0 in the Western Division last year, will open its season at Harrisburg, Pa., against Harrisburg High School, one of the top teams in the eastern United States, Jeffries said.

ROOSEVELT: Offsetting the loss of seven seniors, including All-DCIAA running back Larry Graham, will be the biggest challenge for Roosevelt this season.

The Rough Riders also lost both quarterbacks from a team that finished 4-1 in the Western Division last year, losing only to Dunbar. However, Head Coach Daryl Tilghman said he has a strong group returning, led by senior quarterback Calvin Butler.

Other key players for Roosevelt are Anthony Maddox, running back Thamar Davis, Charlie Webb and Kevin Scott.

"I think we will get back to the playoffs, but it will be a toss-up from there," Tilghman said. "Defensively, we return a strong linebacker core, but the offensive line is an area of concern."

Roosevelt will arrive in Harrisburg, Pa., a day before Dunbar to face Central Dauphin in its first game of the season.

WILSON: Competing against juggernauts Dunbar and Roosevelt for playoff spots is tough in the Western Division, but Wilson Head Coach Horace Fleming said his team can contend for a post-season spot after finishing 2-8 overall last season, 2-2 in the Western Division.

"Our overall team effort is important," he said. "We have to deal with some inexperienced players who do not know what it takes to fully understand football. But we are returning some bright kids, which puts us in a more better position to teach them."

The Tigers could challenge Dunbar and Roosevelt if running back John Boyd continues his success from a year ago. Boyd established himself as one of the top runners in the DCIAA last season, rushing for 1,000 yards. However, Fleming said the team needs to improve at the quarterback position and on the offensive line before its opener against Gonzaga.

"We need to improve on both sides of the ball," Fleming said. "We have to stay healthy; we cannot afford to lose people because we don’t have the depth."

Players to watch are quarterback Derrick McCall, cornerback Walter Hawkins and Josh Majors, a 6-3, 285-pound lineman.

COOLIDGE: After a disappointing 2-7 finish last season, Coolidge Head Coach Jarrell Robinson said his team will do better this season.

The Coats’ success in 2001 will rest on its offensive specialists – quarterback Shawn Hodge, running back Tyrone Adams and wide receiver Antonio Pixley. "We should do pretty good with these players back," Robinson said.

Defensively, Tony Nipper, Jason Allen and Jarrett Burgess will lead Coolidge.

The Coats begin the season at home against H.D. Woodson in a game that could set the tone for the rest of the season, Robinson said.

"Woodson is always tough," he said. "This season we have to build character as a unit and be competitive."

CARDOZO: In recent years, the biggest problem for Cardozo Head Coach Bobby Richards has been numbers. Players moving in and out of the school’s boundaries have stagnated any kind of growth for the Cardozo football program during the past five years, Richards said.

"Every year it feels like we are starting all over again," he said.

Things could be changing for the Owls this season. Thirty players turned out for opening day practice and Richards said he expects more to come.

"We had a good turnout the first day," he said. "I expect us to be a lot more competitive this year."

Cardozo went winless in division play last year, finishing 0-4. Richards will put the offense in the hands of senior quarterback Renaldo Fowler.

Defensively, a pair of juniors – David Skerritt, a 6-8, 220-pound defensive end and Sherman Jenkins, a 6-5 325-pound – will provide the foundation, Richards said. "We want to build around them."

Cardozo will not have to go far for its season opener. The Owls will face neighboring Archbishop Carroll in the Andre Baylor Classic Sept. 1.

"Winning the division will be tougher for Dunbar this year," Richards said. "It is tough to replace guys like Marcus Winbush and Josh Cribbs. The competitiveness will be even in the league."

BALLOU: Entering this season, Ballou Head Coach Noel Cyrus and his players have unfinished business: winning a DCIAA championship.

After losing to Dunbar in the title game last year, the Knights are hungry for a return to the championship game, Cyrus said.

But defending its Eastern Division crown is the first task for Ballou, who will have to find a way to replace eight offensive starters from an 8-5 team.

Consequently, defense will be the Knights’ strength this season, Cyrus said. Spearheading the defensive unit will be Darrell Morrow, an All-DCIAA selection after registering a school-record 32 sacks a year ago.

"Our defense will be key this year," Cyrus said. "We have to stop people from scoring."

Other key players for Ballou will be linemen James Chance and Julius Allen and linebacker/strong safety DeMonte Robinson.

The Knights start the season a week earlier than the other DCIAA teams, opening their 2001 campaign against Canfield High School in Canfield, Ohio.

"We will do pretty good this year," Cyrus said. "I think the East will be wide open."

EASTERN: Eastern Head Coach Darnell Irby agrees. "Every year the division title is up for grabs."

Despite going 1-4 in non-league play last season, the Ramblers rebounded to finish 4-1, second to Ballou in the Eastern Division.

The Ramblers lost to Dunbar in the first round of last year’s playoffs, but Irby said he would like to think his team will be back in the post-season in November.

"Everybody would like to think they can make it to the playoffs," he said. "We have some areas where we need some people to come in and fill some holes, especially at linebacker, fullback and tight end. We have to get experience and gel early."

Offensively, Eastern will rely on its running game and a strong receiving core, Irby said, while an experienced secondary will anchor the defensive unit.

Key contributors for the Ramblers this season will be Dominic Saunders, Kevin Ball, Tarik Bundy and Michael Robinson, Irby said.

Eastern begins the season against Glen Mills in Concordville, Pa., on Aug. 31.

WOODSON: H.D. Woodson Head Coach Greg Fuller has been looking forward to this season since the conclusion of baseball last spring.

After finishing 4-6 overall and third in the Eastern Division at 3-2, Fuller said he does not think there is a better team in the East than Woodson.

"It will depend on who gets the breaks," said Fuller of his team’s chances in the evenly matched division. "We are much improved."

The Warriors will be strong offensively with the return of all five starters on the offensive line and four juniors playing skilled positions.

Fuller said his squad’s season opener against Coolidge would definitely be a chance to see how well they will fare this year.

ANACOSTIA: Longtime Anacostia Head Coach Willie Stewart said experience will be key for his program this season. "I hope we are much improved. The kids have been around and that is a plus for our program."

The Indians struggled to a 2-8 record a year ago, with both wins coming in divisional play. Despite going winless in non-league play last season, Stewart has once again scheduled tough non-league opponents in preparation for league play.

Entering the season the biggest unanswered question for Anacostia will be the quarterback position, Stewart said. "I am concerned about our lack of experience at quarterback."

However, Stewart said he is optimistic about the upcoming season, which will kickoff against McNamara High School, a private school in Maryland’s Heights District.

"We have some skilled players coming back," he said. "We have to score points and keep our defense off the field. We can’t score if we do not have the ball."

SPINGARN: The additional players from Phelps will be the least of worries for third-year Spingarn Head Coach Steve Powell this season. Becoming a contender in the DCIAA will be a tougher task for the Green Wave, 1-8 overall and 1-4 in the Eastern Division a year ago.

"I think we can contend this year," Powell said. "But we have a lot of hard work ahead of us."

Size and numbers have hurt Spingarn in the past, Powell said. However, this year the Green Wave will have both – with seven players weighing more than 260 pounds and three over 300, not counting the additions from Phelps.

"I am very excited about this season," Powell said. "We have had two years to lay the foundation. We have kids coming back with great work ethic, talent and attitude to go along with our philosophy."

A star could be in the making at Spingarn, which will rely on the young arm of sophomore quarterback Michael Richardson this season. Richardson, who led the Marshall Heights Pop Warner team to the national championship game, will take the snaps from All-DCIAA center Manuel Yager.

College prospect Wesley Stanley, a 6-1, 290-pound pulling guard, also returns on the offensive line. Michael Castro, a 6-7, 230-pound tight end, will join the football team from basketball.

The Green Wave opens the year at Wyoming East High School in New Richmond, WV.

Copyright 2001, The Common Denominator