Full week of football practice on tap

by Kevin Eckleberry La Grange News

The first full week of preseason practice gets under way today, as the Callaway Cavaliers, LaGrange Grangers and Troup Tigers continue to prepare for a season that?s getting close.

The first mandatory day of practice was Thursday, and teams will have three more days of non-contact practice before the first full-contact practice session this Thursday.

Troup head coach Lynn Kendall said there?s plenty teams can do before the full-contact practices begin.

?We?ll continue working toward getting to full-pad mode,? Kendall said. ?At the same time, there?s a lot that we can do in helmets and shorts in lieu of full pads. There?s a time for that.?

The five non-contact days give the players an acclimation period before they put the full pads on and start hitting.

?We just try to acclimate to the heat in shorts and helmets,? Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins said. ?On (Thursday), it will be our first physical day. We are doing work on a lot of fundamentals, getting the kids familiar with where they go and knowing the routine each day.?

LaGrange wrapped up its Ironman competition on Thursday before holding a special-teams practice on Friday.

Head coach Donnie Branch said the overall numbers are down a bit from previous years, but he doesn?t view that as a problem.

?We don?t have quite as many players, but I think we have plenty of players,? Branch said. ?Our numbers have been really high the last couple of years, 80 guys, that kind of numbers just grades 10 through 12. Which for a Class AAAA school is pretty high. I think we?re going to be 50, 60 range, and a lot of youth. Sometimes that makes it a little bit easier to coach.?

LaGrange and Troup are both practicing in the mornings, while Callaway is practicing in the evenings.

Once school starts, of course, all three teams will settle into their normal after-school schedule.

The season kicks off locally on Aug. 23 when Callaway visits Heard County, and Troup and LaGrange will both be at home for their openers.

Troup hosts Redan on Aug. 29, and LaGrange takes on Newnan on Aug. 30.

Callaway, LaGrange and Troup all lost their season openers last year.

Source: http://lagrangenews.com/bookmark/23236453

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