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Some practice fields are, well, challenging

Before Mark Schmidt joined Imhotep's football coaching staff as an assistant last season, Albie Crosby, then the head coach, took him out to lunch and drove past the Panthers' practice field behind the Lonnie Young Recreation Center.

Before Mark Schmidt joined Imhotep's football coaching staff as an assistant last season, Albie Crosby, then the head coach, took him out to lunch and drove past the Panthers' practice field behind the Lonnie Young Recreation Center.

"Holy mackerel," Schmidt, now Imhotep's head coach, recalled thinking as the duo drove past the field off East Chelten Avenue, about a half mile from Imhotep.

Baseball was in season at the time, Schmidt said, so the mound was raised and the infield pronounced, making it hard to imagine football.

Harder still: navigating ditches, avoiding occasional animal droppings and making athletic moves in sometimes knee-high grass.

But if practice truly makes perfect, do the imperfections of a team's practice facility affect its performance on the field of play?

"It's not the ideal practice situation, but we get through it, and it works for us," said Crosby, who stepped down after Imhotep became the first Public League team to win a PIAA football championship last season.

Other area schools - past and present - have also found success despite facing adversity with finding, losing and adjusting to practice situations.

In South Jersey, Woodrow Wilson's baseball team practices on a softball field behind the school on Federal Street in Camden.

"That's like practicing basketball on a court with eight-foot rims and then playing a game on a court with 10-foot rims," said Tigers veteran coach Steve Murray.

In PIAA's District 12, turf fields, such as the four "supersite" locations typically accommodate games.

Charter Schools, which are not overseen by the School District of Philadelphia but play in the Public League, are responsible for finding their own practice facilities.

When current KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Dubois athletic director Keary Diaz came from Georgia about three years ago, returning south almost immediately crossed his mind.

As the team's first football head coach, Diaz held his first spring practice in the basement of the former FitzSimons Middle School building on Cumberland Street.

"It was so stressful," said Diaz, who stepped down as head coach after last season. "It was enough to think about cancelling it and not even worrying about it."

Months later, KIPP, a charter school in West Philadelphia, moved to its current location on Parkside Avenue, which sits adjacent to an open section of Fairmount Park that is now used as KIPP's practice field.

"We have just enough room to do what we need to do, and it shows up on the field," Diaz said.

Later in that inaugural season, the Lions eventually won the District 12 Class A championship against the Catholic League's Bishop McDevitt. Currently, KIPP is 4-0 under first-year head coach Marlon Viaud.

Its basketball team, however, has yet to find a permanent place to practice, Diaz said.

The Math, Civics and Sciences Charter basketball squad faced that scenario last season. The Mighty Elephants lost their basketball gym inside the Berean Institute, which was forced to close.

Despite displacement, the Pachyderms finished runners-up at the Giant Center in Hershey during the PIAA Class A finale last season. The team practiced three days a week, an hour at a time, at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center on 22nd Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, said coach Danny Jackson.

"It was indescribable," said Jackson, who will hold practice at the Bright Hope Baptist Church on 12th and Cecil B Moore this season. "Reaching the state championship last year exceeded all of my expectations for the team. To take a team who had few practices and a lot of obstacles to overcome, it was amazing."

In Bucks County, while Central Bucks South's field was undergoing an artificial turf makeover this year, the Titans practiced at Mill Creek Elementary School and played their home football games at War Memorial Field in Doylestown.

For practices, the C.B. South players board a bus for the approximate 10-minute drive to Mill Creek.

"It's our home away from home," Titans coach Tom Hetrick said.

At War Memorial, C.B. South hosted Council Rock North on Sept. 3 and Central Bucks East on Sept. 16.

"The stadium looked full to me on our side," Hetrick said of last week's 27-6 win over C.B. East. "We have a great set of fans. I expected that."

With the renovation near completion, C.B. South will practice at Titan Stadium for the first time on Thursday and host Suburban One League Continental Conference rival North Penn at 7 p.m. Friday.

Sparkling Titan Stadium will also be available again for other sports teams, including field hockey and soccer.

Overcoming inadequate, inefficient and nonexistent facilities is not new.

Legendary track coach Tim Hickey led William Penn's nationally renowned girls' track program for nearly three decades despite running on sidewalks, city streets, hallways and basements of the North Philadelphia school.

In 1981, Roman Catholic's football team had equipment stolen from its old football digs near 29th and Clearfield, Cahill Field, which hosted its last game in 1997 before the Philadelphia Water Department claimed the space.

Today, eyes light up, feet are bit more fleet, and success hasn't been too far behind when some teams leave their modest practice fields for games.

"The kids get excited because you're able to run freely," said Crosby, who praised the Lonnie Young staff for keeping the grounds relatively free of trash and litter. "Whereas on the practice field you could almost hit a ditch or step in some dog poop or anything else."

Staff writers Rick O'Brien and Phil Anastasia contributed to this article.

Cartera@phillynews.com

@AceCarterINQ