The fall sports season is right around the corner, and the Gilmer High Bobcats will be in Cherokee County for its preseason football scrimmage.
The Cats have continued to do much of the same since the Times-Courier last spoke to head coach Paul Standard four weeks ago. GHS ended June with its third and final seven-on-seven passing event of the summer when it made the trip to Towns County.
“The day went really well, and we’ve been there for the last four years,” said Standard. “It was probably the best one for us overall, and I say that because our kids just did a great job of performing. They played well, and when things didn’t go well, they did a great job of responding to the adversity. In some years, that hasn’t always happened. Our leadership showed up just like it has all summer.”
Eleven players make up this year’s senior class, and Standard praised them for taking the younger players under their wing.
“It’s really been great, and I’m proud of them,” said Standard. “They’re a very tight group, and they’ve really helped our younger kids, and not just lip service, but you see them at practice working with them and coaching them up. That really means a lot, and we will not see the fruit of that behavior for another year, but it’s gonna happen.”
Following the dead week to begin July, the Cats were back on the field for four more sessions. Morning workouts were followed by two hours on the field. Thus far, helmets have been the only protective equipment permitted by the Georgia High School Association.
Last week was used to test players’ strength and agility. They completed lifts that included bench press, squats and power cleans. Additionally, 40-yard dash and pro shuttle times, as well as vertical leaps were used to tabulate a total. Those who accumulated enough points earned the designation of “iron man,” and 14 players accomplished that feat.
“That’s the highest number we’ve had,” Standard said. “It includes all our strength and conditioning aspects. I was really proud. We’re not the biggest in size, but we’re very strong.”
This week is the GHSA’s mandated “acclimation period” where “in the first five days of practice for any student, the practice may not last longer than two hours, and the student may wear no other protective football equipment except helmet and mouthpieces.” This falls in line with much of what the Cats have done all summer, except their time on the field is more restricted. Full-padded practices begin next Monday.
“This acclimation is just an added week of what we’ve done all summer,” said Standard. “I’ve got some issues with that because we could do this better. I’m involved with the GHSA, but we just can’t seem to come to the understanding that we need to be in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) this week to be ready for full pads next week.
“We’re still practicing and doing some game/scrimmage work because Sequoyah runs similar offensive and defensive schemes of several of the schools that are on our schedule. It’s given us a chance to work on what is going to be in the game plan as we move forward.”
GHS will be on the field for five practices this week. Next Friday’s scrimmage at Sequoyah is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
“We’ve had a great summer so far, and I’ve told the kids as we start this acclimation week, ‘This only guarantees us one thing, and that’s the opportunity to be successful,’” Standard said. “When we play Fannin (in week one), no one is going to care what the summer scores were or anything like that. By doing the things we’ve done, we have that opportunity.”