High school football teams enter dead period soon. Why one contender isn’t concerned.

The Sac-Joaquin Section’s looming dead period might make some football coaches anxious.

Not Gregori High’s Jason McCoy.

Beginning Monday, coaches will be prohibited from conducting practices utilizing a football and other sport-specific equipment until July 31.

After spending most of the spring and early summer developing chemistry on the field, the Stanislaus District’s football teams will head indoors. Coaches are permitted to be inside the weight room with their teams.

As he puts away the footballs and tackling dummies, McCoy isn’t concerned about losing momentum.

“We’ve been investing a lot of time all year, and I expect we’ll continue to do that same stuff – make those morning workouts, get in the gym and grab a buddy and play some catch,” McCoy said. “We put it on our leaders to take the initiative to keep it going.”

Gregori steams into the dead period. McCoy is optimistic about the 2017 season, the school’s seventh with a varsity team, and he believes his program can deliver on the promise its shown in its infancy.

The Jaguars have posted four consecutive winning seasons, including seven-win campaigns in 2014 and 2016.

Downey is the five-time defending Modesto Metro Conference champion, but even coach Jeremy Plaa has acknowledged the quick rise of the youngest program in the Modesto City Schools system.

The Jaguars have some interesting pieces, most notably quarterback Bobby Avina and 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end Gabe Sanchez.

A summer star for Valley’s Got Talent, one of the nation’s top 7-on-7 programs hosted by Bonsu Elite Athletics in Ceres, Avina struggled through an injury-plagued junior season. He appeared in just five games, completing 56.1 percent of his passes for 650 yards and two touchdowns.

His health may determine the potency of Sanchez, one of the few Stanislaus District football players to hold a Division I offer. Sanchez has been offered by Air Force Academy, Columbia University and the University of San Diego.

Sanchez had 19 catches for 310 yards and four touchdowns last fall.

Gregori also returns wide receiver/defensive backs Jace Tessaro and Evan Camerena, and Peter Garcia and Billy Craft, who double as running backs and linebackers in McCoy’s system.

“This is a very tight-knit group here. We have really emphasized building a family and these guys have done that,” McCoy said. “We have family barbecues as a program, they go to each others’ houses to swim, and we went to Extreme Paintball. I think we’ve done a really good job of building that trust amongst teammates.”

Like many in his position, McCoy will use the dead period to focus on conditioning, preparing their bodies for the rigors of a 10-game schedule.

But he’ll also turn the kids loose, giving them time with their friends and family before the demands of regular-season football set in.

“We think it’s important for the kids to get away from the game, to clear their minds and be with their families on vacation,” McCoy said. “We stress the importance of making good decisions. If the kids want to go to the lake, we tell them, ‘Hey, have fun, be smart and know the season is right around the corner.’ We try to instill that in the kids from Day 1: What we’re working for is right around the corner. When August rolls around, it’s go time.”

This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 1:54 PM with the headline "High school football teams enter dead period soon. Why one contender isn’t concerned.."