Offseason weightlifting in the winter.
Two-a-days under the blazing summer sun.
Eight months of work all building toward tonight.
The Friday night lights click on at Frost-Kalnow Stadium as Calvert welcomes in McComb to kick off the 2012 season.
"We're really excited to get back into the regular season routine, basically playing on Friday night and getting ready to go," Calvert coach Todd Fox said.
Calvert traveled to McComb and knocked off the Panthers 17-14 in last year's season opener. Six starters return on each side of the ball for McComb to try to avenge that loss.
None of the returnees is as important as Jerry Brown.
Brown is a four-year starter for the Panthers, who's amassed 38 touchdowns in his career.
Last year he rushed for a Blanchard Valley Conference-leading 1,678 yards on 247 carries. He also caught 12 passes for 285 yards en route to earning a second team All-Ohio selection in Division VI.
"The obvious is Jerry Brown, Mr. Everything," Fox said when asked the players to watch for in the McComb scouting report. "He plays quarterback, receiver, running back, slot. I wouldn't be surprised if they threw him in at offensive line here and there."
Brown though isn't the only weapon the Panthers have that Fox and his staff have to prepare for.
"This year, they have their whole supporting cast back with the skills guys," he said. "They have a lot of other guys who are very talented on the offensive side of the ball. ... We have our work cut out for us defensively to slow those guys down."
Part of slowing down McComb's offense is keeping them off the field. That means the Calvert offense will have to do their job of moving down the field and controlling the clock.
Dan Kwiat figures to be the workhorse for the Calvert. He is the top returner for the Senecas rushing for 829 yards last year.
However, Fox has seen promising signs from several players that they're ready to step up and join Kwiat in carrying the load.
"Our style, even last year was ball control and use the run game to set up the pass," Fox said. "Dan Kwiat is going to be a big part of that this season. We're definitely going to lean on him early, but we've really been pleasantly surprised with some of our other backs and our quarterback and some of the things they've been doing. We feel a little but like we can open it up sooner than expected."
While Fox said he feels his team is where they need to be heading into week 1, there is always the variable of how the newcomers to the lineup fare once the ball is kicked.
"I feel that way, but you really never know until that first kickoff and that first series and see what happens at that point," he said.
Kickoff is 7 p.m.
