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While much of the town slept, the team played on; such was the story as Monday evening stretched into Tuesday morning.

In a special midnight practice at Cardinal Stadium, the George Rogers Clark High School football team took part in several full-contact drills with just weeks to go before the season begins.

“Right now, we’re eligible to start full-contact across the state,” said Matt Chandler, the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator. “We took this opportunity to get the kids out here, get them in full pads, and start banging into each other a little bit and get ready for this upcoming season.”

The practice was just one segment of the week’s summer camp, which began Monday and took place through Thursday.

Because it was open to the public, parents and fans came to watch the players under the bright lights.

The unique practice is a creation of head coach Joe Chirico, dating back to when he was the coach at Paintsville High School in eastern Kentucky.

“We saw a couple teams [and] a couple programs across the state doing it, and they were having success,” Chandler said.

Before practice, he was asked what he expected to see from players.

His hopes were high.

“Continued mastery of their alignment, their assignment, and then just the overall continuing of flying around and an eagerness to make plays,” Chandler said. “I’m sure [offensive coordinator] Coach [Jordan] Ray and the offensive guys are wanting the same thing.”

Practice got underway with music playing in the background, including that from rappers Will Smith and Juvenile and rock band AC/DC.

Not to skimp on toughness, it was a physical affair.

The first drill of the early morning hours – called “Cardinal Alley” – featured one player at the 20-yard line facing another head-on.

When the whistle blew, he was to try to pass the blocking player en route to the 5-yard line, where a pad got set up for him to make a tackle.

However, two more blockers were stationed at the 15 and 10-yard lines.

Sometimes facing three blockers at once, many players fought through them all en route to a tackle.

A separate drill, called “Oklahoma”, featured defensive players trying to get away from the block of offensive players as a ball carrier attempted to run past.

A similar drill, “Millennial Oklahoma”, featured linebackers and defensive backs attempting to get away from the block of offensive players during pass plays.

Among other exercises, a fourth contact drill challenged linemen to drive each other back while encouraging them to stay lower for proper leverage.

As seen from the reaction of those participating, the event brought a positive response.

“Everybody seems to enjoy it. It’s nice seeing some parents come out and watch and cheer them on,” Chandler said. “[Players] have been looking forward to it. I think they’re ready to get the pads on and start hitting each other.”

The Cards begin their regular season with an 8:00 p.m. matchup at Cardinal Stadium against Central Hardin on Friday, Aug. 18.