Every even day after school, football players at McKinley High School have a study hall to get some homework done before practice starts.

“I think it’s great,” Bob Morikuni, athletic director, said. “Any chance that the students can get extra work, get help from the advisers and coaches and also so they don’t have to do work at home after their practices when they’re tired. I think it’s awesome.”

Principal Ron Okamura also thinks that the football study hall is great.

“Excellent,” Okamura said. “There was always a problem when we would start our football season and have 10 to 15 guys sitting on the bench because of academics, I pushed really hard to carry this football study hall and I’m really happy to see that is coming into play.”

If football players are tardy or absent to study hall they will face consequences, like running during practice.

Freshman Julian Hendrickson said, “I like study hall because I get an extra hour to just get some work done and when I get home I either get to rest or do whatever I want because I’m already done with my class work.”

There are about 75 players in all for junior varsity and varsity and about 15 of them were on academic probation in September.

“I’ve never had so many players struggling in the academic area,” Pat Silva, head coach of the Tigers football team, said. “The amount of players on academic probation affected us in many ways.”

Silva says his support group works very hard to ensure the best for the team. They are dedicated to making sure the players get the attention needed to succeed not only on the field, but in the classroom as well.

“Our study hall is very structured. Our advisers care very much [about the team],” Silva said. “We still have a ways to go, and what it comes down to is attitude and laziness.”