While it may still be Summer for everyone else, Monday marks the official beginning of Fall for local prep football players and coaches.
Monday is the first day the Georgia High School Association allows high school football teams to hold organized practice for the upcoming season. Teams are limited to only helmets as they must complete five days of “Acclimation” practices before putting on full pads as early as Aug. 1.
Calhoun and Gordon Central will both hold their first practices on Monday, and Sonoraville will get going on Tuesday morning.
Calhoun coach Hal Lamb, who is heading into is 18th season with the Jackets, said his team is ready for their first organized practice on Monday morning following a productive summer program.
“It’s exciting for all of us – fans, players and coaches,” said Lamb. “Monday’s the first official day, and we’ll go out there and see what we can get done. It’s been a great summer for us. The participation was great, and I think all the kids got better. We got stronger in the weight room, went to several camps and 7-on-7’s and did some conditioning in the heat to get acclimated. Now, it’s time to put everything together and start getting ready for the season.”
The Phoenix will hold their first practice on Tuesday morning before working their way into full pads the following week. Head coach Jim Kremer said his team, which is coming off their first-ever playoff win last season, will begin practice by continuing what they have been working on throughout the summer with a few more details mixed in.
“We’ll keep our routine similar to what we’ve been doing already until school starts, working in the morning,” said Kremer, who is starting his third season as head coach at Sonoraville. “We’ll go by what the GHSA says with the acclimation days, which is a good policy and there for a reason to help prepare the kids for the heat. Special teams will be huge during the first week. We worked on it a little in the Spring and talked about it during the Summer, but we’ll really put an emphasis on the kicking game and add a new phase in probably every practice. Our goal is to have everything pretty much put in by the time we get to that first padded practice. That way we can mainly focus on polishing things once we get into pads. We’ll be able to get the defense working on the passing game and running game together, and the other big thing is continuing to develop our team chemistry.”
Kremer added that he has been pleased with what his team has gotten accomplished over the summer months.
“Our participation has been really good,” said Kremer. “It’s kind of expected from the upperclassmen, but we’ve had the best participation from the rising freshmen that I’ve had in years. It’s tough for them, not being able to drive, but I’ve been really happy with that group’s attendance.
“We had workouts and conditioning all through the summer and went to some camps and 7-on7’s. We give the kids the chance to be a football player and have time to do stuff for other sports, go on vacation or go to church camps. But they still got in a lot of work. That’s our philosophy, and it has worked well so far. Now we’re excited to start getting ready for those Friday night lights. There’s nothing like that.”
The Gordon Central Warriors will also get started on Monday with conditioning and their Iron Warrior in the afternoon with practice to follow. Head coach David Humphreys said his team is coming off a team camp at Habersham Central this week, and they players are ready to get back out on the field together.
“I think the kids are excited and ready,” said Humphreys. “We’ve lined it up the last few years to where we go to the camp together and get the kids focused. I think everyone has worked their tail off this summer and are excited about getting out on the field as a team. They want to work hard for each other.”
Humphreys, who is starting his fourth season as head coach of the Warriors, said the summer program was an encouraging sign for his team after a few tough seasons the last few years.
“Our participation was really up,” said Humphreys. “We’ve averaged double what we did last summer. The kids have realized you’ve got to put the work in to be successful, and we changed things up throughout the summer to keep them energized.
“We’ll get out there next week and get our group work in and introduce special teams. We’ve got to get in a lot of work to get in before our first game so we’ll use our time wisely. We’ll definitely be ready.”
Calhoun will play their preseason scrimmage on Aug. 11 at home against Northwest Whitfield, and Sonoraville will visit Gordon Central on Aug. 12 for their preseason scrimmage. The Jackets and Warriors then open the regular season the following Friday ( Aug. 19) with Calhoun hosting Douglass (Atlanta) and Gordon Central visiting Murray County. Sonoraville opens the