Waterford — Jackson Harshberger recently got a tattoo on his right forearm that reads, "The struggle is part of the story."

The ink has personal meeting for Harshberger, a Waterford High School senior and co-captain of the football team.

The tattoo is an also a fitting philosophy for today's pandemic life.

Monday was the first day in which high school athletes could start working out together for conditioning, the second phase of the CIAC's "resocialization" for high school sports.

"I'm actually looking forward to conditioning to get in shape and see my teammates," said Harshberger, a running back/linebacker and one of Waterford's three captains.

"The bond with teammates is just something you can't beat."

Sam Menders, a senior receiver/defensive back and co-captain, said, "Getting back on the field is what I always want to do. I'm just happy to get out here today and get back at it."

Twenty one Lancers showed up for the first day of conditioning at Alumni Field, the first time they'd all been back on their home turf since the end of last season. They had perhaps the greatest season in program history in 2019 as they won the Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II championship and won a CIAC playoff game for the first time, beating the Canton/Granby co-op 10-6 in the Class M quarterfinals.

The Lancers lost at home in the semifinals to conference foe Killingly 35-7.

"It was crazy," Harshberger said about playing in a state semifinal. "It was something we weren't used to. It was just fun, especially against a team that we were not supposed to hang with and we hung in there the whole first half."

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a whole set of new challenges for coaches and players alike. They're only allowed to work out outdoors during Phase II and must do so in groups of no more than 10, yet still keep their distance.

Staying six feet away from one another isn't ingrained in one's DNA, most especially teenagers who tend to come together in groups. Waterford coach John Strecker had to remind his players not to shake hands or slap hands when they were greeting their teammates, things that humans just naturally do when they see one another, especially after being apart from each other for so long.

"It’s a whole new layer of stuff," Strecker said. "Don't fool around when you're not in a drill. Now you have on top of that don’t touch each other, don't get near each other. That's why they're here and they want to be back with their teammates. You can't sit next to each other.

"Teenage boys, they're fairly distracted as it is."

Football teams would ordinarily be several months into working out together inside a weight room, something that hasn't been allowed during the pandemic. The Lancers have been limited to working out at home and getting together for online workouts.

"I've gone to Waterford beach and the Harkness area and done some sprinting," Menders said. "I have a treadmill. Lifting, it's been alright. I have a bench at home, but I don't have as much weights as we have here. It's limited in what we can do."

Harshberger said, "You don’t have your team to pump you up and make you want to lift more."

Asked if he was in better shape last year or this year, Harshberger smiled and said, "not nearly as in shape as I was last year."

The CIAC allowed coaches in all sports to start doing virtual instruction back on June 1, an allowance it made because of the pandemic.

"The online thing is a giant challenge," Strecker said. "One of the reasons you coach is because you want to be out there with the guys and it's just so hard. Oh, God, it's so hard."

Waterford assistant coach Matt Hove put together the Lancers' workouts. They went from station to station Monday lifting various weights, keeping their distance and immediately sanitizing the equipment. They couldn't lift as heavily as they normally do because they can't have a spotter.

Teams can only work out three times a week for no more than an hour. Phase II will last for four weeks and, if all goes well across the state, Phase III will begin on Aug. 3. That phase will allow for larger groups as well as indoor workouts. The final phase is scheduled to start on Aug. 31.

Football's regular season is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, Sept. 10. Waterford opens its season at home the next night against the Capital Prep/Achievement First co-op.

Asked if he was confident there would be a season, Strecker said, "I wish I was. It's just so up in the air. I have no idea. I'm going to proceed like we're going to start (non-exertional organized team activities) on Aug. 13 because you've got to, but like I just told them, this phase has to last for four weeks minimum.

"I wish I knew what was going to happen."

n.griffen@theday.com