The upcoming football season is the culmination of years of preparation for Nolan Nash of Labette County.
Since his freshman year, Nash has put in the extra work needed to become the player he is today, from early morning workouts to offseason camps and the countless hours spent improving after practice.
“I’ve been working for this season since my freshman year,” Nash said. “All the 6 AM lifts, the camps, the extra work after practice — that’s what got me to where I’m at, along with a lot of people believing in me along the way.”
Now entering his final season, Nash is focused on making the most of his final opportunity in a Labette County uniform while helping establish the standard for future players.
“It’s my final year, so it’s my last chance to go prove something,” Nash said. “Not just for me, but for my team. We set a standard last year of how we do things, how we compete, and how we carry ourselves. Now our goal is to meet that standard every single day, not just on Friday nights.”
A major part of Nash’s focus this season is leadership. With younger players stepping into bigger roles, he wants to help guide them and leave the program in a better position than when he arrived.
“A big part of that for me is bringing the younger guys along,” Nash said. “I want to be a leader they can lean on and push them to be better than we were.”
Nash’s offseason has been a busy one. As a four-sport athlete, he competed in track through the end of the school year before immediately transitioning into football preparation. Once state track concluded, Nash and his teammates jumped into daily 6 a.m. lifting sessions.
“I’ve been to five camps this summer,” Nash said. “June was pretty much lifting and then basketball, and July has been football heavy.”
One of Nash’s biggest goals entering the offseason was adding strength and size. Since the end of track season, he has added 15 pounds and believes the work has helped him take another step as a player.
“My biggest goal this summer was to gain weight, and I’ve put on 15 pounds since state track ended,” Nash said. “I truly feel like I’ve made the jump I needed to make.”
As a wide receiver, Nash has also focused on improving his route running and explosiveness. He has spent time developing the quick movements needed to create separation and make plays in space.
“One area I needed to improve on was my route running — just getting out of breaks and stopping,” Nash said. “That goes into those fast-twitch muscles, so I’ve been doing a lot of workouts that are short and explosive.”
Nash understands that every detail matters for a receiver, whether it is making a contested catch or creating enough separation to move the chains.
“As a wide receiver, everything you do has to be explosive,” Nash said. “Whether you’re going up and high-pointing a football for a touchdown or you’re running a five-yard dig for a first down, you have to create separation.”
Last season, Nash made an impact in multiple areas for Labette County, recording 276 rushing yards, 383 receiving yards, 933 all-purpose yards, 74 total tackles, three interceptions and 10 touchdowns.
This season, Nash has set an ambitious goal of doubling his production. While he knows the challenge ahead, he believes the work he has put in makes it possible.
“Some of my goals for myself are to double my stats from last year, which will be challenging but I don’t think is impossible,” Nash said.
Nash also relies on film study and conversations with his father to continue improving throughout the season. Rather than focusing only on season-long numbers, he sets individual goals each week based on his previous performance.
“My dad will always have goals for me in a game based off how I did the game before and what he thinks I could do more of,” Nash said. “So me and him will go over film and look at everything together and I’ll make my goals for that game.”
For Labette County, the team’s goals remain simple. The focus is on taking each week one game at a time while competing for a Southeast Kansas League championship.
“Our goals are always the same — go 1-0 every week, no matter how ugly, and then win SEK,” Nash said. “That’s something Coach Argabright has drilled into our heads.”
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