June, July important part of process for Vols
Starkville Academy head football coach Chase Nicholson knows that if his players wait until the start of two-aday practices to start getting ready for the season, they’ve lost some valuable time.
That’s why the months of June and July are so important in the process for the Volunteers.
Nicholson said the players take a certain amount of pride with summer workouts at Starkville Academy.
“They understand and buy into the importance of the summer,” Nicholson said. “It’s not just passing time until the season. It’s getting ready for the season and using the two or two and a half hours each day to the most as they possibly can. They do a great job of that. The coaches lay out a plan, but at the end of the day, the guys are the ones who have to actually do it. They get out of it what they put into it and that’s what we emphasize day in and day out.”
There are no surprises for the Vols during the summer, especially with the veterans. The seniors have been part of the program for the third summer and juniors for the second summer.
It may be new to the sophomores, but they are quickly brought up to speed by the upperclassmen.
“The seniors push
the
younger classes and the juniors push the younger classes,” Nicholson said. “It’s a constant build of getting better.”
Two-a-day practices begin on July 27 as Starkville Academy points to a jamboree at Winston Academy on August 14. The Vols are scheduled to open the season at Lamar School on August 21.
With MAIS guidelines in place, there is expected to be fall sports. Nicholson said Starkville Academy is ready for football.
“We are right where we want to be,” Nicholson said. “As always we are on schedule, but we want to beat the schedule and be ahead of the game when we start two-adays.”