PRACTICE BEGINS FOR LOCAL FOOTBALL
Football/fall sports tab on tap
Monday marked the first day of practices for high school football teams in the Lodi area and the Sac-Joaquin Section.
The four area high schools — Lodi, Tokay, Galt and Liberty Ranch — conducted drills at their respective fields at Don Womble Field, Hubbard Field, Warrior Stadium and Hawk Stadium.
According to the section’s website — cifsjs.org — an acclimatization chart was posted to let high school football teams know what they can and cannot do during the first week.
• Teams are allowed to practice twice a day but only every other day.
• The first two days this week, teams can wear helmets only in terms of players’ equipment.
• On the third day — Wednesday — teams can only wear helmets and shoulder pads.
• On the third through fifth days of practices, teams wearing helmets and shoulder pads can only have contact with blocking sleds and dummies.
• The maximum duration of a single practice session is four hours.
• Teams can start holding 100 percent contact drills on the sixth day — Saturday — and beyond.
According to Will DeBoard, who is the section’s assistant commissioner, 45 minutes is the maximum time allowed per contact hitting/live drills in each practice. A combined 90 minutes is maximum for contact hitting/live drills each week through the end of the season.
On Friday, Aug. 23, three of the four area teams will open the season in Week 0. Tokay (010 last season) plays at Patterson. Galt (4-6 last season) will
host Woodland Christian at the revamped Erv Hatzenbuhler Field of Warrior Stadium. Liberty Ranch (also 4-6 last season) welcomes Johnson of Sacramento at Hawk Stadium.
On that same day, the Lodi News-Sentinel will publish its annual tab section Inside The Locker Room. It will feature previews on the four area high school football teams and photos. In addition, there will be previews and photos of the Lodi and Tokay volleyball, girls golf, girls tennis, water polo and cross-country teams.