Photo by Eric Keith / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo

Central High School football coach Tony Dudik has been a stable force in the school’s program in the face of increasingly talented opposition. Monday was the first day of practice for the 2008 campaign.

The auburn has all but drained from Tony Dudik’s moustache, and his foot speed admittedly has diminished.

But something in the mid­August air helps him identify with the teenage athletes he’s been coaching for more than three decades.

“Just like with kids, there’s highs and lows,” Mr. Dudik said. “Sometimes you go, ‘My gosh, how do I keep doing this?’ But then sometimes you go, ‘This is the greatest thing ever.’ I love it.”

For the 32nd consecutive year, Central’s first football practices of the season start­ed Monday with Mr. Dudik patrolling the field and tak­ing part in individual player drills. Seven other fall sports seasons across the area also started practice Monday in Missouri.

Entering his 22nd year as the Indians’ head coach, his physical coaching style hasn’t diminished with age. During the team’s afternoon drill, he absorbed a glancing shoulder blow from senior running back Ghaali Muhammad. Later on, he entered a cluster of linemen to demonstrate proper blocking form.

“He comes out here hyped up every day,” Mr. Muhammad said. “He’s an 18-year-old in a 50­year-old’s body.”

But his gravelly voice has softened over the years. He now dishes out carefully measured en­couragement and chas­tising barbs in equal por­tions to more effectively help his players attain their potential.

“I used to lash out, or I’d get angry,” Mr. Dudik said. “But I wasn’t really angry at that kid. I was angry at myself because I didn’t have a technique to get him to respond the way I wanted.

“I think we call that wisdom, ... and I feel wis­er than I used to be, yes.”

A move up into the Sub­urban Big 7 Conference will challenge his young team and its second-year spread offense, which lost a host of playmakers to graduation. Once the season starts, the on-field results shouldn’t have anything to do with lack of preparation, according to Randy Morlock — who served as an assistant to Mr. Dudik for 11 years with the Indians.

“He might have lost a few steps, but that’s not going to slow him down,” Mr. Morlock said. “He can’t do anything half­way. That’s not in his per­sonality.”

With his 96-99 career re­cord, Mr. Dudik acknowl­edges he might not have lasted as long at a school that puts its ultimate pri­ority on wins and losses. But that’s never been his primary focus.

“Coaching is a huge responsibility. You can either make or break a young man — not just this season, but for his life,” Mr. Dudik said. “My biggest deal is trying to build relationships with kids — helping them be­come better players and better people.”

And as long as he re­tains his kinetic energy and desire, he plans on re­turning to Central’s side­line as long as he’s able.

“If it gets to a point where I don’t think I can keep up, then I’m prob­ably going to turn the key over to somebody else,” Mr. Dudik said. “But in the end, when you under­stand what your mission is and what you’re trying to accomplish, that’s pret­ty darned rewarding.”

Andy Meyer can be reached at andymeyer@npgco.com.