Football: Trying to prevent cramps starts well before halftime

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I’ve been noticing lots of players have been suffering from cramps in the third quarter early in the season, raising the question: What has been happening at halftime?

But it’s really not about how much fluids players are drinking doing at halftime. Trainers and doctors say trying to prevent cramps is about being hydrated throughout the day before a football game and even earlier.

‘Once they start cramping, they’re pretty much done,’ Loyola High trainer Tim Moscicki said.

Moscicki said Loyola players start preparations to prevent cramping on Wednesday.

‘No one knows for sure what causes cramps,’ he said. ‘They think it has to do with hydration. You have to start a day in advance. It’s a continuous reminder.’

Crenshaw lost one of its best players, Birdel Hodge, on Thursday night less than a minute into the third quarter when he hit the ground in severe pain from cramps in both of his legs. He didn’t play the rest of the game.

-- Eric Sondheimer