A year ago, summer workouts for high school football teams looked a lot different than normal.

Teams were restricted to small groups, mandatory temperature checks and virtually no full-team activities were allowed to take place.

Fast forward to June 2021 and things look as normal as they have since pre-pandemic.

For the Cascade Champions, it's been as normal of a month of workouts as they've had in nearly two years.

"It's getting back to normal. It's a normal June like we've had in the past. The only difference is with the dead period being so late, we've bumped 7-on-7's up to June," Cascade coach Jake Tyre said.

"The big thing is we're getting back to normalcy."

What does a normal summer of football conditioning look like?

Typical conditioning, full team workouts and plenty of time spent in the weight room has been the name of the game in prepping for the 2021 season.

"Last summer, we had to work them out in groups no larger than nine. There were times in June last year when I didn't see everybody because we had one coach stay with one group. Now, everybody is back together. The team is back together-they're not separated," Tyre said.

"We can work out in the gym, work out in the weight room and do a whole lot of team stuff instead of individual stuff."

In fact, the only thing that looks a little different this summer compared to a "normal" summer is the TSSAA mandated two-week dead period falls a little later in the summer.

Because of that, Cascade has focused on 7-on-7's in June.

During 7-on-7 scrimmages, teams focus on the passing game against defensive secondaries.

While Cascade is traditionally a run-priority offense, it's been a solid month of returns for the Champions.

"We had a 7-on-7 with Central, MTCS and Community then had the big tournament at Central had last week. We played some teams that throw the ball really well and we played into the second round in the tournament. We got to see some things we normally don't," Tyre said.

"I think it's been good for us. We're not traditionally a throwing team. Our throwing is really relying on our run game. Seven-on-seven's really aren't conducive to what we do. We have to have the run game. The kids have done a good job, though."

A typical week of workouts this season consist of all the normal things a team would go through.

"We'll go Monday through Thursday from eight in the morning until 10 or 10:30. We'll lift weights, condition and do 30-45 minute of either an offensive or defensive practice," Tyre said.

Along the way, Cascade has seen a handful of players emerge as playmakers, even though the 7-on-7 format isn't entirely conducive to what the Champions run in the fall.

"Elijah Arnold did a good job at quarterback and we found a couple of receivers. Overall, I was impressed with them. They competed against some pretty good football teams," Tyre said.

The contrast from a year ago is as big of a 180-degree turnaround as athletics have seen in some time.

Gone are the mandatory temperature checks, limited group workouts and imposed social distancing.

"We haven't had to do temperature checks and we haven't had anybody out with it. It's been good. A lot of the restrictions and stuff we had in place last year have gone away. We're still cautious about stuff. We still wipe down equipment and that kind of thing," Tyre said.

While the pandemic undoubtedly changed the aspects of social distancing and health standards forever, there are still lingering precautions teams are taking to prevent any potential spread of the virus.

"COVID brought on something that probably needed to be brought on our country anyway. We're still wiping down stuff, keeping our distance and if you're sick, it's a stay home kind of thing," he added.

For now, the Champions get a break until summer work can resume after the dead period in July.

"June is a big month just for getting in shape and working out. When we come back in July, it's full-tilt football. We come back on July 12th. We have a week and then we're in pads. On July 30th we have our first full scrimmage. We'll scrimmage Westmoreland on the 30th. We'll scrimmage at Eagleville on August 5th and then against Webb on the 13th," Tyre said.

Cascade opens the 2021 campaign on August 20 against Moore County at the Stable.