Gilmer High football head coach Paul Standard is pleased with the Bobcats’ efforts during spring practice.
GHS wrapped up the 10-day annual event last Wednesday with 67 players on the roster. The number is 20-plus more than last year, and Standard and his coaching staff went into spring with objectives in mind.
“We wanted to find out which of our nonstarters from last year are ready to step into those starting roles and to see where our really young guys (freshmen) are at this point in their football development,” Standard said.
He believes some of the upperclassmen answered those questions and was also pleased with the work ethic of the rising freshmen class.
“That’s a direct result to coach Willie Dodaro and our middle school staff, who have just done a fabulous job,” said Standard. “They’re strong, they’re in the weight room with Willie, and their offensive and defensive knowledge of our base systems was prevalent.”
One major component the program replaced was quarterback Seth Darling. The quarterback makes vital reads in the triple option on most plays, and Issac Rellinger has stepped into that role.
“He had a great spring and is going to be a really fine quarterback for us,” Standard said. “As a rising sophomore, his leadership is way above his grade. He has command of the huddle and is going to do a great job in our option offense, and he throws the ball well, too. I’m proud of him.”
Standard noted the players’ strength is “10 times better” than it was a year ago. Because players already know the base systems, time was not spent on rudimentary lessons as it was last year.
“I thought we moved much better than we did last year. Part of it, is they know what we’re doing,” Standard said. “You build your ability to be quicker and faster in the weight room. I’m not a physics major, but I know there’s something to be said for velocity, mass and power. We’ve increased that in the weight room, and that has helped us with our movements and flexibility.”
tandard noted the Bobcats still need to work on their physicality, and he hopes to see that improve throughout the summer.
While some programs ended spring with a scrimmage versus another team, Standard preferred to focus on the macro aspects of the program.
“The idea of playing a spring game is getting larger and larger, and some of it (scrimmages between premier teams) is in the news. I’m not a big fan of a spring game when we only have 10 days,” Standard said.
“If we had a game, we would have spent the majority of spring preparing for the game because you don’t want to go out there and look bad. We would concentrate on our top returning players, and that would go against the purpose of our spring practice.”
Overall, Standard was happy with the two weeks. He wants them continue to make strides when the Bobcats begin summer practice June 6.
“From last year to this year, it was night and day,” he said. “It was as fun as spring practice can be. Our seniors led us and made it fun when spring practice can be a grind.
“We looked like a football team, where at this time last year, we were a collection of players as we were trying to form a team. We accomplished all of our objectives, got some questions answered and we’ve got leadership. I think we’re well on our way.”