ROCHESTER — It’s never too early to start preparing for high school football season.
Practices start in August. Games will follow come September.
Summer months, however, are primetime for training. Some Section V schools seek to test their product early.
McQuaid hosted its first of three combined practice sessions on July 27, welcoming three other teams. A precursor to the upcoming West Side team camp, the crack of shoulder pads signaled a welcome return to football season in Rochester.
“It gives you a real test of what your skills are,” said McQuaid junior lineman Griffin Cedarleaf. “You’re not just understanding what your guys can do, but what people on other teams can do, as well.”
Head start
McQuaid and Irondequoit experienced an epiphany nearly a decade ago.
Both ran their high school football camp the same week. Why not combine them?
Combined practice sessions offer controlled repetitions against new competition. Webster Schroeder and Canisius of Buffalo joined this year’s proverbial party.
“It gives coaches more of a challenge than placing the ball on the 40-yard-line and saying, OK, you’ve got 10 plays,” said event organizer George Giordano. “Our mantra has to be, you’re in charge of the other guy’s safety. You don’t need to knock the guy out of bounds or make the strip sack.”
Situational football rules the day. Tweaking ball placement, down and distance provide educational reps for attendees.
Varsity groups practice on one field while junior varsity populates another. Players sport helmets and shoulder pads.
“We’re just here to show we’re competitive,” Webster Schroeder senior lineman Brysen Terry said. “We have a lot of young leaders on this team and we’re here to show that we can play ball too.”
West side story
Rochester’s West Side football camp originated more than two decades ago at SUNY Brockport.
Hosts and participants have changed in the 15-plus years Giordano has led the event. Its current roster features many of Monroe County’s Section V championship contenders.
Eight teams will attend the 2026 West Side team camp Aug. 3-5: McQuaid, Aquinas, Rush-Henrietta, University Prep, Irondequoit, Hilton, Greece Athena and East High.
“We are fortunate to have coaches who want to work,” Giordano said. “I feel that the quality of the teams is the best in New York state. We have eight schools ready to work together and buy into the philosophy that we are there to work.”
Fall athletic practices in New York officially begin Aug. 17. Some teams rest the week prior while others hold self-contained team camps.
Giordano, a longtime local assistant now on staff at Irondequoit, also runs a camp at McQuaid for modified players. Unlike the dozens of individual camps which pop up annually, these events are for teams, affording two-fold benefits of both practice and preseason bonding.
The Section V football season kicks off Sept. 3. But it’s never too early to start preparing.
Jeff Uveino joined the USA Today Network in 2023 and began covering Rochester-area high school sports in 2026. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University's Jandoli School of Communication and native of Perry. Contact him at juveino@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @realjuveino and on Instagram @jeffusports.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: High school football returns as Rochester teams gather for summer camp
