Jupiter High’s football team is starting the season with a 1-2 record, defeating Park Vista and losing to Dwyer and Martin County.

To prepare for the new season, the team participated in an extremely rigorous summer workout routine with the new head coach, Jason Kradman. 

“You just have to make sure that you’re giving your players the best opportunity to compete,” Kradman said.

The boys took on conditioning before transitioning to drills and working on their techniques and tactics.

“In the summertime we had practice in the mornings and it was mostly lifting and conditioning but once the season started we put on pads and started hitting [each other],” Ian Wolski, senior linebacker, said. 

These conditioning days were not easy, but the boys overcame the mental and physical challenges. 

“[Conditioning] is definitely hard on your body, but it makes you come in tougher and it makes you want to push through and work everyday,” Matt Williams, senior safety, said. 

Despite obstacles, the boys remained dedicated to bettering their skills.

“I mean it was rough to wake up every morning for practice. But, it mentally prepares for the hard season,” Jack Costello, junior center, said. 

Throughout the summer, the team was able to build positive team chemistry on and off the field. 

“Right now the team chemistry is great. All of us have definitely grown and through team dinners and everything else. We’ve really learned to value each other and be a team,” Wolski said. 

While the training pushed the boys to their limits, it contributed to their success as a team.

“We try to set the bar high so that they can achieve things that they didn’t even believe themselves were possible and give them the tools in order to become successful,” Kradman said. 

Kradman grew up in Coral Springs, Florida. After living in Chicago with his family for a few years, he moved back to Florida to coach for Jupiter.

The boys already view Kradman as an impactful coach. 

“Coach Kradman is amazing and we all love him. He is great and is going to help the program and we’ll have a lot of future success,” Wolski said.

As well as welcoming players to the program, Kradman has specific goals to get the team where he wants them to be.

“We have to have a schedule set up in the summer so that we’re doing whatever it takes, in the weight room and on the field so [the team] can remain healthy and injury free to reach their ultimate potential,” Kradman said. 

Kradman and the boys hope to transition their summer work to the regular season, as they look to earn a spot in the playoffs.

“We set the expectations high,” Kradman said. “We’re looking for not only a winning record, but also to make the playoffs, which hasn’t been done in a while.”