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Football practice rolling along, despite heat Football is in full gear throughout the area and the rest of the state of Alabama despite scorching temperatures above 100°. The coaches are taking extra precautions to make sure their players stay hydrated by giving plenty of fluids and offering water breaks regularity. "It is hot everywhere. You really have to push the players but make sure they stay safe. We have been giving more water breaks to make sure the kids stay safe," Jackson Coach John Blackmon said. New Washington County Coach Joe Nettles has a somewhat different approach and says he does not do much adjusting for the heat. "The heat has been tough because we are not as mentally tough as we need to be. We don't do much adjusting to the heat. We have to play in it in a few weeks so we better get used to it," Nettles said. The heat affects some teams more than others because of the number of players available. At Jackson Academy and McIntosh, where both schools have under 30 players, it is a little more challenging to keep the players hydrated. They do not have the luxury of sitting out several plays or getting much rest because they are playing both ways by necessity. Across the river at Leroy, the Bears have about 74 players out for fall practice. That puts Leroy at an advantage no other team in the area has. "In some regards it is (an advantage). We are working all our people but while some kids are getting reps others are able to get a little rest." "It is tough here just like it is everywhere. Hopefully we are in decent shape. We have to make sure we get our players to drink fluids at home and plenty during practice. If a kid lets us know that he may be having some problems, we get him out of there," Powell said. While it is obvious that the coaches are taking extra precautions during the heat wave to protect the players, it is also obvious that the players have to get used to the heat. In less than two weeks all of our area teams will get dressed in full gear and play a full football game. So the coaches are doing everything they can to make sure the players are safe but also prepare them for what they will face in the coming weeks on Friday nights. Jackson Academy will kick tthe season offf when the Eagles face South Choctaw Academy Friday night in Jackson in a preseason jamboree.
The following week everyone will be in action with Leroy and Washington County meeting up in Leroy and Jackson hosting Gulf Shores in preseason jamboree's Aug. 24. The Eagles will travel to Mobile taking on Cottage Hill in the first game of the regular season the same night. So hot or not, football season is under way.
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