Football season won’t kick off until September. For Newtown High School’s varsity squad, the regular season opener is set for September 11, when the Nighthawks visit Pomperaug of Southbury. But a lot of what the players are doing during the summer months will contribute to how they perform in games  through the end of November and, perhaps, beyond.

The ability to get up from a tackle and continue competing, maintain endurance and stamina for play after play during a long game, and to have an overall edge in terms of explosiveness and strength against an opponent might very well be determined in July and August.

Since a week after the bell rang for the final time this past school year, Nighthawk football players have been hard at work, four days a week, for an hour and a half each morning. They’ve been working out in the Newtown High School Football Team Training Program, directed by Coach Steve George, with help from his assistant coaches and some past players.

The program, which leads into mid-August practices, at which time footballs and, later, pads for contact, will make appearances on the practice field. The summer program is really a continuation of a virtual yearlong training regiment for many of the team members, who, after a brief break at season’s end, begin lifting weights.

“You’ve got to be able to have strong muscles around your bones and around your tendons,” George said of the importance of getting into shape and building strength in the offseason.

Throughout the summer sessions, which begin at 7:30 am, the athletes do a combination of running outside, power lifting in the weight room, and moving from station to station — circuit training — in the gymnasium for a series of rigorous workouts. Each station or circuit offers a different way to build strength — from various free weights to a rope exercise to a medicine ball throw.

The summer program used to run for two hours, but George said shortening the time while maintaining the same amount of workout makes for better cardio training and helps get the players into game shape.

“It’s a long game. A lot of these kids could, potentially, be playing both ways,” said George, adding that the strenuous workouts stacked together with little time for a breather help with muscle memory.

Mike Doyle, a rising senior captain, is one of those two-way players. A safety and receiver, Doyle stands to be called upon to play just about every down on both sides of the ball.

“It’s very important. We’re all getting stronger, bigger, faster,” Doyle said of the summer training program.

“To be competitive you have to be bigger, better, faster than the opponent,” George added.

A lot is asked of the returning players with and without weights and other exercise tools in their hands. They help guide underclassmen, whom George notes gain a basic understanding of how to lift safely in a strength clinic at the start of the workout program.

While the two-plus-month break between classes serves as an opportunity for many students to sleep in, there’s no hitting the snooze alarm for many, including these dedicated football players. They’re hoping the hard work pays off in the form of solid performances on the gridiron, and that the effort — and the edge they expect to be building on opponents — leads to wins.

The Nighthawks have established a winning tradition, and claimed three consecutive South-West Conference championships culminating with a win in last year’s final title game. Because of state regulations enforced to minimize risk of injury, teams now have less days of practice in which contact is allowed, and they are scheduled to play one less game — now they have a ten-game schedule. The SWC eliminated its championship game because, in part, it gave players little time off to recover before the start of the state playoffs.

With no conference title contest, the Nighthawks will look to continue their regular-season winning ways which date back to the 2011 campaign, and experience some success in December’s state playoffs.

“Last year, we lost 14 or 15 starters so it’s even more important this year we get everybody here,” Doyle said.

The summer workout program also helps bring the team members together well before the first snaps, touchdowns, and tackles of the fall season.

“It helps our chemistry, helps us bond as a team, and helps us get ready for the season,” Doyle said.