Technology today advances at a rapid pace, affecting workplaces, classrooms, and households. But the technological growth has reached a new area seemingly untouched by modern machines: the football field. Perry begun implementing the use of drones during practices, giving them an effective way to analyze and improve their strategies.

The small devices include attached cameras and are sent up in the air to record the athletes as they play. This provides an aerial view of the team in action, giving them the chance to view their movements at different angles, rather than the standard sideline camera which offers only one.

The team uses this in a variety of ways, the most prominent of them being the review of routes by the coaches. “It is a benefit to [the players] but a bigger one to the coaches,” explained Coach Rogers. The coaches harness the footage to more effectively plan out strategies and pinpoint specific areas of improvement, making it an integral tool for them.

The drones, which were first implemented mid-Sept., aid in correction because they allow for a much clearer vantage point, and act as an outlet of visual teaching. “We can watch and see what is working and not working and make the corrections with the boys before the next practice,” added Rogers.

Rules and regulations regarding the machines are still being altered, as use for high school sports is fairly new territory. The legality of the drones were put into question, and it was unsure whether they would fit the criteria under state privacy laws, legal mandates, and Federal Administration Aviation (FAA) rules.

However, in recent years, the FAA has attempted to clarify their rules, and put forth a set of guidelines in order for machines to be considered legal model aircraft. Some of the guidelines include not exceeding 400 feet in altitude, being less than 55 pounds, and operated in such a way that it would not interfere with manned aircraft.

With rules in place, the drones have swept high school football fields around the nation, Perry no exception. They have become important in assessing and altering game plans, and have become a part of the school team. “We like having it because it makes everything more simple. We just see it and fix it,” said Senior Seau Nguyen.

Senior Kolb Palmer added, “We can easily figure out how well we’re running the plays in a new and helpful way.” Palmer and many others agree that the drones are key players, and are confident in the technology that is growing more prominent every day.

The drones prove to be a useful tool for the football team, and foreshadows what could become of high school football in the future. The world is advancing at an unbelievably fast rate, and so is the football field. First scoreboards, then cameras, now drones; what’s next?