CORNING, N.Y. (WENY) - It's a little over a month away from the official start of the high school football season as student-athletes participate in summer workouts and other events to prepare for the 2022 season.

WENY Sports catches up with local football coaches, brought to you by Alfred State College, on what they want their players to focus and work on this summer to be as ready as possible by the time the first official practices arrive.

On Wednesday, we spoke with Corning Head Coach, Mike Johnston. 

Johnston stressed the importance of strength and conditioning in the summer, and he discussed what opportunities are provided for the student-athletes and what the message is right now, especially with the current weather.

"We offer opportunities for kids to come and get in the weight room for free. Wednesdays, we do our walkthroughs, otherwise known as installation of offense and defense. It gives the chance to come out and meet new kids" said Johnston. "I think the other part if it is the flexibility and the aerobic activities and you're seeing right now that there's a heat wave going on and we're actually on the grass today instead of on the turf because it raises the temperature eight to ten degrees and you've got to make sure that our kids are healthy and well hydrated, so we're trying to get in our kids' heads about the hydration piece and preparing yourself."

"We've got to get over the hump here in these next two years. We've been sitting around playing video games and being on our iPhones and iPads. We need to get out there and start participating and doing some exercise and I encourage people to play multiple sports" he added.