All six Greenwood-area high schools will start football practice Monday in preparation for the 2010 season, which kicks off in 26 days for five of the six teams.
Amanda Elzy will have to wait an extra week to crank up its season against cross-county rival Leflore County on Aug. 27.
Pillow Academy, Greenwood, Carroll Academy, Leflore County and J.Z. George all open up Aug. 20.
Greenwood will practice twice a day Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8-11 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. The Bulldogs will work out in the afternoons only on Wednesday and Friday.
First-year GHS head coach Clinton Gatewood is excited about finally getting to work on the field.
“We’ve had a great summer of conditioning and weight lifting. We’re a little quicker, faster and stronger,” said Gatewood. “I am not worried about conditioning.
“Our biggest concern the first few days is making sure the kids learn their assignments. They have got to be in the right position with the correct fundamentals. That’s our focus.”
He expects to start practice with about 65 kids in grades nine through 12.
“That’s probably our largest number in 10 to 12 years,” Gatewood said.
The Bulldogs open up Aug. 20 at home against Leflore County.
Michael Fair will begin his third year as head coach at Pillow with 44 players. The Mustangs will hold two-a-days all week, working from 7:30-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. each day.
The Mustangs will practice in shorts and helmets the first three days and add shoulder pads for the next two days. They will hold a brief intrasquad scrimmage at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
“Our biggest thing the first few days is working on the mental things, knowing where to be and when to be there,” said Fair, who guided the Mustangs to the state AAA Division II title game last season. “Also, we’ve got to develop some depth and put in the rest of our offensive and defensive packages.”
The Mustangs kick off the season Aug. 20 at home against Grenada Kirk.
Here’s a look at what’s going on with the other area teams:
n Amanda Elzy: The Panthers will practice twice a day for at least the first three days of the week, working from 9-11 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.
Elzy coach Eric House said he expects to start practice with 30-35 kids.
“We will work hard on conditioning in the morning and then the mental part of the game in the afternoons,” said House, who is 10-9 in his first two years at the helm of the Panther program.
n Carroll Academy: The Rebels will start its first season under Roger Gordon with a short deck.
He expects to start out with 20 players, working at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day this week.
Carroll is seeking its first winning season since 2002.
The Rebels open up Aug. 20 at home against Winona Christian.
n Leflore County: The Tigers will practice each day from 6-7:45 p.m. with a chance for two-a-days on Thursday and Saturday.
“I feel like we’re in pretty good condition so our emphasis will be on learning to start out,” said Leflore head coach Cedric McSwine, who is 15-8 in his first two seasons with the Tigers.
n J.Z. George: The Jaguars will practice each day from 3-5:30 p.m. with about 35 players.
“We will use the first week to put in more of our offense and get used to the heat,” said George head coach Chris McRae, who went 7-5 last year in his second season.
The team will have its first practice in full pads Saturday morning and then eat together at the school, McRae said.
n Contact Bill Burrus at bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
By BILL BURRUS
Sports Editor
All six Greenwood-area high schools will start football practice Monday in preparation for the 2010 season, which kicks off in 26 days for five of the six teams.
Amanda Elzy will have to wait an extra week to crank up its season against cross-county rival Leflore County on Aug. 27.
Pillow Academy, Greenwood, Carroll Academy, Leflore County and J.Z. George all open up Aug. 20.
Greenwood will practice twice a day Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8-11 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. The Bulldogs will work out in the afternoons only on Wednesday and Friday.
First-year GHS head coach Clinton Gatewood is excited about finally getting to work on the field.
"We've had a great summer of conditioning and weight lifting. We're a little quicker, faster and stronger," said Gatewood. "I am not worried about conditioning.
"Our biggest concern the first few days is making sure the kids learn their assignments. They have got to be in the right position with the correct fundamentals. That's our focus."
He expects to start practice with about 65 kids in grades nine through 12.
"That's probably our largest number in 10 to 12 years," Gatewood said.
The Bulldogs open up Aug. 20 at home against Leflore County.
Michael Fair will begin his third year as head coach at Pillow with 44 players. The Mustangs will hold two-a-days all week, working from 7:30-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. each day.
The Mustangs will practice in shorts and helmets the first three days and add shoulder pads for the next two days. They will hold a brief intrasquad scrimmage at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
"Our biggest thing the first few days is working on the mental things, knowing where to be and when to be there," said Fair, who guided the Mustangs to the state AAA Division II title game last season. "Also, we've got to develop some depth and put in the rest of our offensive and defensive packages."
The Mustangs kick off the season Aug. 20 at home against Grenada Kirk.
Here's a look at what's going on with the other area teams:
• Amanda Elzy: The Panthers will practice twice a day for at least the first three days of the week, working from 9-11 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.
Elzy coach Eric House said he expects to start practice with 30-35 kids.
"We will work hard on conditioning in the morning and then the mental part of the game in the afternoons," said House, who is 10-9 in his first two years at the helm of the Panther program.
• Carroll Academy: The Rebels will start its first season under Roger Gordon with a short deck.
He expects to start out with 20 players, working at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day this week.
Carroll is seeking its first winning season since 2002.
The Rebels open up Aug. 20 at home against Winona Christian.
• Leflore County: The Tigers will practice each day from 6-7:45 p.m. with a chance for two-a-days on Thursday and Saturday.
"I feel like we're in pretty good condition so our emphasis will be on learning to start out," said Leflore head coach Cedric McSwine, who is 15-8 in his first two seasons with the Tigers.
• J.Z. George: The Jaguars will practice each day from 3-5:30 p.m. with about 35 players.
"We will use the first week to put in more of our offense and get used to the heat," said George head coach Chris McRae, who went 7-5 last year in his second season.
The team will have its first practice in full pads Saturday morning and then eat together at the school, McRae said.
• Contact Bill Burrus at bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
