Taking A Break From Hell

About 100 football players nationally have died of heat stroke since

1960, according to a study by the University of North Carolina Department

of Exercise and Sports Science. Local high school football players and

coaches say they are conscientious about the dangers of heat stroke and

continue to take necessary precautions not to add to that toll. After

performing running drills at practice under the scorching sun, water

breaks are mandatory, coaches said. Crescenta Valley High athletes Drew

Atwater, left, and Rob Clark take a breather from practice Tuesday. Local

temperatures have regularly hovered between 90 and 100 degrees since

practices began in early August. Hell Week, or as one local coach calls

it, "conditioning week," began Monday for several local programs. The

idea is to have two practices a day that last two or three hours apiece

and features running drills.