As high school football practice ramps up in Kansas, two national organizations have called on coaches to change practices to prevent exertional heatstroke in linemen. Big linemen account for 97% of exertional heat stroke deaths, with research showing they heat up faster and cool down slower than other players.

New Guidelines

The National Federation of State High School Associations and the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee have recommended a "paradigm shift" on how to condition linemen. The guidelines suggest linemen should be excluded from certain preseason performance testing, such as mile runs, and that post-practice sprinting puts them at greater risk for exertional heat illness.

Unfortunately, Kansas has seen its share of linemen put at risk. In recent years, several players have died of complications from heat stroke, including 15-year-old Ovet Gomez Regalado in 2024 and 19-year-old Braeden Bradforth in 2018. The new guidelines would prohibit the kind of intense workouts that led to these tragedies.

Experts say that none of the victims should have been subjected to repeated sprints in hot weather. "Linemen do not sprint like wide receivers and running backs, either in practice or games," said former University of Oklahoma football head trainer Scott Anderson. "The game demands for linemen are to spring up from a stance, take a few fast steps forward or backward, and maneuver or grab a heavy object."

While the guidelines are a step in the right direction, they are not mandatory for high school football coaches in Kansas or Missouri. "As the NFHS states it is a recommendation that we have been operating under for two seasons now," said Jeremy Holaday, assistant executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.