Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Toledo area

TOLEDO -- With less than a month before the fall high school season gets underway practice has begun for most of the area's football teams. And like recent years the unrelenting summer heat looms large over each practice.  Joe Polka is the head football coach at Whitmer High School. "We talk a ton about hydration at all times; when we are not on the field we are inside our air conditioned facility and when we are on the field we try to keep the helmets off as much as possible," Coach Polka said. 

Most schools have so-called "two-a-days" where they practice from 8a.m-10a.m, break for two hours then resume at noon for another two hours.  Most schools have athletic trainers on site to closely monitor the athletes.  Aaron Sage, an athletic trainer with the Promedica Sports Medicine Department,  was on hand to observe today's practice.  "We want them to drink after practice 16 ounces of water for every pound that they lost during practice," Mr. Sage said.