MCC Football Field Evaluation Highlights HeatSense’s Impact on Athlete Readiness

Melbourne, FL 

Melbourne Central Catholic High School (MCC) football hosted a live field evaluation of HeatSense, the real-time performance and readiness platform that makes athlete-level heat response visible.

Sophomore football player Will Warren wore the HeatSense sensor during the game, providing coaches, athletic trainers, and parents with their first live look at the platform in action. What began as a simple demo quickly turned into a broader conversation about athlete readiness, performance, and how teams prepare for extreme heat.

Athlete Experience

Warren entered the game with concerns about comfort, unsure if the device would interfere with play but that concern quickly disappeared.

“Once I got it in the right spot under my pads, I barely noticed it. It didn’t affect how I played at all.” – Will Warren, Sophomore Athlete

The successful integration under protective padding demonstrated that HeatSense can deliver continuous monitoring without disrupting gameplay.

At halftime, Warren’s HeatSense data showed his core body had surpassed 103°F. Knowing this, they could take action and proactively cool Will off during the break to boost his second-half performance and reduce heat strain risks —a level of actionable insight coaches and trainers had never accessed before.

Coach Perspective

 “As a Head Football Coach, player safety is always my top priority. The data we get from HeatSense gives us real-time insight into how our athletes are responding to the heat. That information helps us adjust practices, protect our players, and keep them performing at their best.” - Willie Tillman

Trainer Perspective

Athletic Trainer Annie Gibbs was one of the strongest advocates on the sideline, praising both the platform and the experience of working with HeatSense.

“I couldn’t get enough of the data. The app interface is simple and easy to use, and it gives me insights I’ve never had on the sideline. This feels like a game-changer.” – Annie Gibbs, Athletic Trainer

Her enthusiasm extended beyond MCC, with active interest in advocating for adoption within her network of sports medicine professionals.

Key Takeaways

• Comfort: Athletes can integrate HeatSense seamlessly under pads without performance impact.
• Halftime Adjustments: Real-time data showed an acclimated athlete but pointed to cooling strategies that could further improve second-half readiness.
• Insights: Coaches and trainers gained new visibility into the relationship between heat and performance.
• Adoption Pathways: Local donor and grant opportunities were identified for funding.
• Cultural Relevance: Players themselves see HeatSense as both useful and shareable.

Why It Matters

The MCC evaluation highlighted how HeatSense can change the conversation from reactive safety to proactive readiness.

By turning vitals like core temperature, skin temperature, and heart rate into clear Insights, HeatSense helps athletes, coaches, and trainers adapt in the moment, protect performance, and prepare for the heat of real competition.