Fun takes the field with Lakeville North football

Players trickled into Lakeville North's stadium one by one Monday morning, carrying helmet, shoulder pads, cleats and, most important, red and white water jugs. Practice opened under sunny skies with a slight breeze out of the north.

"Eight o'clock!'' blared one of coach Brian Vossen's assistants. "Time to go."

Vossen quickly countered, "Not quite."

His assistant quipped, "What time are you on?"

The fifth-year mentor responded, "Vossen time?"

The opening of two-a-day practices couldn't come soon enough for senior center William Kuhn.

"I was restless last night," Kuhn said. "I was ready for practice to start. It's always fun to get back out here."

"My first time running the play," Kuhn said with a smile. "I had to quit thinking about it, and just put my head down and run. I get in trouble when I think."

The Panthers offensive unit donned red jerseys while the defense sported black ones. The team is coming off a 10-2 season, having lost in the Class 6A semifinals to Totino-Grace.

"Coach Vossen is unique, and makes it a lot of fun," senior and third-year starting quarterback Drew Stewart said.

Stewart concluded the workout in punt formation as punters kicked to return specialists. That led to Vossen, impersonating Donald Trump, shouting a player's name, followed by "You're fired!" when he didn't perform up to the coach's standards.

How many were fired?

"Some hearts were broken today, but I think they'll survive."

As players left the stadium after practice, they wore white T-shirts they sported when they walked in. Each had one of eight words on the back — character, desire, leadership, legacy, loyalty, relentless, respect, tenacity.

"Those are words Coach Vossen goes by," Stewart said. "It's his philosophy. He might get after people, but he always does in a positive way. It makes you want to play better for him."