Summer conditioning, weight lifting, 7-on-7 drills, and joint practices with helmets and pads filled the months leading up to Wednesday. But for Hall-Putnam County coach Nick Sterling, the first official preseason practice for the 2026 season carried a different weight. "It's kind of a reality moment," Sterling said. "Summer camps and summer practices are there to get the extra work in, but when you make the statement, 'This is the first official day of practice,' there's a tone change. There was definitely a serious tone today. You could see it in the boys. They were definitely locked in. We were very happy with the result at the end of practice." The Red Devils kicked off their day early, practicing from 6 to 8 a.m. La Salle-Peru followed a similar schedule, holding their session from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., while Bureau Valley took the field from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Later in the day, St. Bede, Mendota, and Princeton were slated to practice, with the Bruins going from 4:50 to 6:15 p.m., the Trojans from 3:30 to 7 p.m., and the Tigers from 4 to 7 p.m. Despite the absence of full pads, energy remained high. La Salle-Peru senior Camden Greathouse remarked, "We're not in pads, but even with just helmets on, the energy was still high. It was still able to be a good practice."

This year's preseason comes with notable changes. The IHSA moved the mandatory dead week—during which no contact is allowed—to the week of July 4, rather than the week immediately before practices begin. Additionally, the first practice date was earlier than in previous years, because games now start a week earlier to accommodate an expanded playoff format. Area teams will open their seasons on August 21. La Salle-Peru coach JJ Raffelson acknowledged the adjustment: "Coaches across Illinois are having to adjust with the dead week getting pushed to the July 4 timeframe as opposed to the week before we start [preseason practices], so it's a little bit of an adjustment, but not too much."

The revised calendar means fewer practice days leading up to the opener. Sterling noted the rush: "Everything feels rushed to an extent. Everybody is trying to navigate through. There's pros and cons, and I think arguments can be made on both sides. There's definitely some things I feel need to be looked at. Hopefully, they can fine-tune this new calendar." Even though teams could wear helmets and shoulder pads for up to 20 days during the summer, the IHSA still requires a two-day period where only helmets are worn at the start of preseason practices. That is followed by three days of helmets and shoulder pads, with full pads permitted on the sixth day. Raffelson explained, "It's a refresher for them to come back to helmets after having so many practices with helmets and shoulder pads in the summer. It's just going back to basics. It's good. We're excited. We're ready to go in a couple weeks and see what we can do."

With less time before the first game, maximizing each practice session has become crucial. Raffelson emphasized, "I always tell the kids we're never going to be going for quantity over quality. It's always quality over quantity. It's not about how long we're out here. It's what we do when we're here, how focused we are, the energy we have and our attitude we have in practice. I think they've been doing a good job getting through it. We've had our ups and downs like every team I'm sure has, but the guys are ready to go. They're excited to finally go play somebody in a couple weeks."

As the season opener approaches, anticipation builds. La Salle-Peru senior Jaron Morscheiser summed up the mood: "Through the summer we built a strong foundation of what we're implementing both offensively and defensively. Today is just the start. It'll probably feel like a long couple weeks before the first game because of the anticipation, but it'll go quick, and we'll be ready."