By: Kyle Neddenriep
July 28, 2017 (INDIANAPOLIS, IN) John Lewis reported to Lawrence Central on Wednesday morning with the rest of his underclassmen football teammates with little idea of what to expect. All he knew was this: the word “combine” was involved.
“I thought it was going to be a 40-yard dash and shuttle run,” Lewis said. “Stuff like that.”
It was not. Lawrence Central hosted a “Sports Science Combine” on Wednesday, billed as the first of its kind in the country. Dozens of high school football players from multiple area schools participated in a combine that tested for behavioral and physical traits designed to arm coaches and players with data to maximize the potential of the individual and team.
In other words, advanced — and personalized — analytics at the high school level.
“I feel like this is where athletics in general are heading,” said former Roncalli football coach Bruce Scifres, who won seven state championships at the school before taking over as executive director of the Catholic Youth Organization in Indianapolis several weeks ago. “Professional and college sports have gone this way. It is only a matter of time before it trickles down to the high school level.”