Photos by Noah Clooten
DEVILS LAKE — The end of the summer baseball season means that the beginning of the fall football season is here. And, fittingly, Devils Lake was graced with cool, gloomy winds as the high school football team began practice on Thursday.
Day 1 is complete. The 2024-25 school year is right around the corner, and the Firebirds are already gearing up to compete. The squad held its first practice outside Devils Lake High School, rotating from Roller Field, to the high school commons, to the outdoor practice field over a four-hour period.
“We had quite a few kids show up, and there’s a few more I wish would come out, but it is what it is,” Devils Lake head football coach Todd Lambrecht said. “Great bunch of guys though. It really is. It’s the fact that they took the time to come out. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially when you have August and kids are loving the lake and that. But good kids. Great turnout. The first day is always a little chaotic, but overall, it was a good day.”
The kids were in the locker room at 8 a.m., then trickled their way out to the Roller Field track as the coaching staff arrived. There was an initial huddle where Lambrecht took roll call, and then the team warmed up and stretched on the field.
After getting their legs loose, each kid ran the 40-yard dash on the track. They started with the older kids. Times consistently came in around the mid-to-low 5.00s, with the occasional kid breaking five seconds. Early on, Coby Dronen Levitt had the best time at 4.81, with Bryar Exner narrowly behind at 4.85. But towards the end of the sprints, Exner recorded a team-best time of 4.75.
One line of advice Lambrecht gave to a player after his run was “Pretend you’re trying to catch rabbits.” He emphasized running with your arms straight and parallel at your sides, rather than straying side-to-side.
Then the group transitioned to an agility drill, while the younger group of players, who had been getting their heights and weights taken, ran the 40. The drill involved sprinting back and forth across three cones as quickly as possible.
Junior quarterback Mason Palmer had one of the fastest early times at 4.12 seconds. Exner shined again, though, beating him with a 4.05 mark. Palmer did multiple additional tries, but only recorded a time as fast as 4.09.
It was nonetheless an impressive display of athleticism from Palmer, who was a strong shooter on the state champion basketball team and one of the best pitchers, hitters and fielders on the baseball team. He secured the starting quarterback job as a sophomore last year.
“He’s really good at understanding the offense,” Lambrecht said. “Very coachable. He really is. He’s willing to learn. He’s willing to work extra hard for things. And he’s not afraid to ask questions.”
Exner, meanwhile, is back after sitting out last year with an injury. He’s one of many kids, both old and young, who Lambrecht expects to step up this year in the place of the graduated seniors. The team is coming off a 3-6 season.
“We have to fill in some spots,” Lambrecht said. “We gotta run the ball a bit more. That’ll help our passing game a lot more. Solidifying our defense a little bit better, too.”
Lambrecht took the kids inside the high school commons after the initial speed drills to talk to the team for an extensive period of time. He said that he stressed a message of being good people and playing as a family. When the team broke into a huddle at the end of practice, they didn’t shout “Devils Lake” or “Firebirds” — they shouted “Family.”
“If they can play for each other and make good choices, and just realize that we’re here for each other,” Lambrecht said, “that’s the main gist of it.”
After the meeting inside, the players came back out, grabbed their Firebird helmets and went over to the practice field. They’ll be adding pads in the second practice of the season on Friday.
They did some basic running drills up and down the field, throwing in some push-ups and motivating each other through the entire thing.
Even amidst the drills, Lambrecht continued to preach his message.
“Remember who you’re playing for. It’s not just this,” he told the kids, motioning to the “Firebirds” logo on his shirt. “It’s the person next to you.”
As the practice came to its final minutes, Lambrecht gave a stern speech to the kids about showing up on time. Simultaneously, he expressed his appreciation that they gave up part of their summer to come out and train. Football season has come up quickly, but the work this team puts in now will be beneficial for their success this fall.
“It’s a really good group of guys,” Lambrecht said. “I know quite a few of them fairly well. They’re good people all around. Good young men. And they’re gonna get better, and they’re gonna help us out. It’ll be fun. It’ll be a good, fun year.”
