Familiarity gives Eagles leg up for spring training
Published 9:17 am Monday, February 6, 2006
By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
If nothing else, W.S. Neal Blue Eagles football coach Blaine Hathcock is way ahead of where he was a year ago during his team's spring training on familiarity alone.
The Blue Eagles began their spring training schedule Wednesday and had another workout session Thursday.
W.S. Neal is tentatively scheduled to have four-day work weeks Monday through Thursday this coming week (February 6-9) and next week (February 13-16). The Blue Eagles will conclude their spring work (Tuesday through Friday) February 21-24 with a scrimmage game set for the final day.
Approximately 65 players took part in Wednesday's initial workout schedule.
The W.S. Neal skipper said many of the practices will be devoted to one side of the ball.
There will also be time devoted to special teams work.
Last year W.S. Neal concluded spring work with a scrimmage game against Hillcrest. This year W.S. Neal will not play an opponent on its final day of work, but it will have an intrasquad scrimmage.
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reasons behind the decision to go back to an intrasquad scrimmage game,” Hathcock said. “First, I think we need to spend this time improving ourselves and not preparing to play an opponent. If you do choose to play an opponent, you have to find one that is finishing up the same time you are and that isn't always easy to do. We're still going to have a fall scrimmage game (at Andalusia). I think that is an important game for us to play.”
Game time for W.S. Neal's scrimmage game has not been announced yet.