San Antonio's Lanier High School football team commenced preparations for their upcoming season in an unorthodox but spirited fashion – they held what's locally known as "the midnight grind," a practice session beginning at the witching hour. The players, as reported by KSAT, made their entrance onto the field through an inflatable tunnel to the glow of warming lights before diving into their stretching and practice regimen.

The Voks, returning from a 3-7 season, are eager to turn the tides with 16 seasoned starters ready to bring their A-game this season, with an equal distribution of that talent on both sides of the ball. Competing in District 12-5A Division 2 – inhabited solely by San Antonio Independent School District teams – the Voks are setting their sights on improvement and ultimately a playoff berth, an outcome anticipated by Dave Campbell's sports predictions, which expects Lanier to finish fourth in their district.

According to SA Urban, this late-night practice has been embraced by the team and has helped to foster a sense of exhilaration and readiness among the players. The communal goal is clear: to stand out in the challenging District 12-5A Division 2 and translate the hard work under the midnight stars into on-field results when the regular season kicks off. The Voks' season opener is set against C-C King on Friday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. at Alamo Stadium.