With the first day of August came the first official fall practice date for football teams across the state of Alabama.
Summer weight lifting, conditioning and 7-on-7 drills have ended as teams prepare for their 2011 seasons. W.S. Neal and T.R. Miller joined other AHSAA schools Monday as they braved the heat to get ready for their first games Aug. 26.
T.R. Miller Tiger head coach Jamie Riggs said the first day went pretty good for his Tiger team.
“I thought it went OK,” Riggs said. “It is football practice in August in south Alabama so it is going to be hot and we know that. It is just going to take a little while to get use to it and some things. I thought we did OK. My coaches did a good job of preparing things and we got a few things done.”
Riggs said his team will start off with two-a-days.
“We will practice Monday through Friday at 7 a.m.,” Riggs said. “Then we will practice from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the afternoon Monday through Thursday. So we will do two-a-days for a couple of days and then I will do another one on Monday. After that, we will practice in the afternoon. We are trying to beat the thunderstorms.”
Riggs said he had about 70 players out for the first day.
“We have one or two out hurt, but we will be alright I think,” Riggs said.
The Tigers will open their 2011 season at home against the Escambia County Blue Devils of Atmore on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.
First-year W.S. Neal Eagle head coach Doug Hoehn and his 2011 Eagle team took to the field early Monday morning and will also practice two-a-days.
“The first day is usually hot and you work on a lot of things to start the year and today went OK for us,” Hoehn said. “There were some good things that we saw. We gave them a little break of two days last week and I expect the afternoon practices to be better than the morning practices. We will practice in the mornings and come back and practice at 6 in the afternoons.”
Hoehn, who has around 65 players, said in the first days of the first few weeks of practice, there are things he hopes to see his team accomplish.
“I would like for us to line up right and run and catch and know our assignments and do the things the right way that we learned in the summer,” Hoehn said. “The kids are working hard and we are proud of their efforts. We are in a rebuilding mode and we just need them to stay focused. That is what we need—hard work and to stay focused.”
Hoehn and the Eagles will start their new era of the 2011 season off at home against the Flomaton Hurricanes Friday, Aug. 26 at W.S. Neal Eagle Stadium in East Brewton. Before their real season kicks off, the Eagles of East Brewton will play Opp in a Thursday, Aug. 18, preseason game at 6 p.m.
Teams, as mandated by the AHSAA, will go through three days of workouts in shorts and helmets and start full-pad sessions start Thursday.