Ganoe takes advantage of first glimpse of new Fairfield digs

The squad that will take the field under the lights at Trojan Stadium in just a few short weeks is together for the start of football camp this week.

Many of the same players that played to a 7-3 record last year were there, on the same practice field and running the same drills. There was, however, one striking difference ? possibly the biggest change a team can undergo in one year ? as new head coach Jason Ganoe stepped on the field to meet his new team.

?This is the first chance I have to introduce myself to the Trojan football program,? he said. ?It?s a situation where I?m pretty sure everybody that?s going to be on our football team this fall is here.?

This week is technically ?camp,? which runs from 6-8 p.m. each night and open to players from seventh-grade all the way up to those entering their senior year. Fundamentals are stressed and the basics are demonstrated in preparation for the official start of practice ? and the two-a-days in the August heat that come with it ? next Monday.

?I?m just trying to see what kind of shape we?re in and get a feel for what I need to plan next week,? Ganoe said. ?Going in, I had a pretty good feel for what was coming to the table just because I?ve been near the program for a few years.?

The new Trojan head coach had been on the coaching staff at his alma mater Washington, one of Fairfield?s most bitter rivals, since 1996 including the head coaching post for the past five seasons. But with a field under his feet and a whistle hanging around his neck, Ganoe is feeling right at home.

?This is me. This is what I do. This is my identity and where I feel the most comfortable. I feel really good about being in Fairfield, and I think I have a good thing going with the coaches,? he said. ?Real quick, everybody here is going to understand the passion I have for the game, that I?m here 100 percent and want to do the right things for this football program.?

He replaces Mike Schenck, who retired this spring after 21 seasons at the helm. Much of the coaching staff remains in tact from the middle school coaches all the way up to the varsity assistants, who bring more than enough of familiarity with the Trojan program to the table.

?I want everybody to get used to a new head coach. I have to learn about my coaches too,? Ganoe said. ?This week is here to kind of break the ice, get a football in their hands and work on some of the fundamentals.?

When not on a football, plenty of hands were resting on knees from the looks of things as the team gets set for the start of practice Monday along with every other team in the state of Iowa. Fairfield will get is season underway Aug. 27 at home vs. Davis County.