Georgia high school football teams were permitted to wear both shoulder pads and helmets at practice starting Aug. 1.
The Bobcats were set to ramp up their practice routine Monday with the rest of the state before the threat of thunderstorms forced head coach Kevin Saunders to cancel.
The Bobcats returned to the practice field last Monday, July 27 following nearly two weeks off. The team shelved practice for nine days after some GHS athletes indicted they attended the same event as others who later tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus).
Saunders is not convinced the extra time off hurt the team.
“I don’t know if it set us back,” he said. “I feel pretty good about where we are. The good thing is everybody is back off last year’s team. Our whole offensive line is returning, everybody on defense is returning and so are the skill guys.
“We have around 19 starters back and the coaching staff is all the same. The only thing I felt like we got behind on was maybe our strength and conditioning.”
The Bobcats have been working out in the morning with afternoons reserved for on-field drills in effort to replicate their schedule once the school year starts.
There are currently 50 players attending practice regularly and Saunders thinks a few more will join the team after school starts Friday.
He assessed the team’s current strengths and weaknesses, saying, “Right now, we’re really good up front. Our offensive and defensive lines are really good. I feel good about our passing game and the receivers we got.
“We have to get in better shape, which is par for everybody this time of year. We have to keep getting stronger. We have to get better at the fundamentals and take care of ourselves.”
Saunders will have a better understanding of the Bobcats’ preseason progression following Friday’s intrasquad scrimmage.
“The kids have worked hard every time they’ve been here,” he said. “Working hard isn’t something we have to preach to them anymore. They know that’s something they have to do and they do a very good job with that.
“I feel pretty good about us having a chance to be decent. How that translates to our new region, I don’t know. Winning four games last year and kind of having a chance to win a few more out of those six we lost, we could have possibly been 7-3.
Events that pit schools against one another such as seven-on-seven passing competitions and contact camps remain prohibited. GHSA schools must continue to adhere to cleaning and sanitizing guidelines.
“Matt Johnson our athletic director has done a great job keeping up with the COVID stuff and keeping up with the health department and the CDC and knowing all the guidelines,” Saunders said.
GHS players and coaches wear masks during morning workouts and when in the field house. Players get dressed for practice in shifts to limit close, full team interactions. Once on the field, they spread out and players must provide their own water each day.
“If someone shows signs of COVID and our trainer feels like he needs to be tested, we will get word to the parents and the parents will make that decision whether to get tested or not. Usually the majority of them have come back negative.”
“Johnson and (Justin) Poff our trainer have done a great job letting us know when players are ready to come back and are good to go. This has all been very organized and one thing I really feel good about.”
The team also has “splash shields” on order. Similar to helmet visors that protect the eyes, splash shields are made of the same material except they cover the lower part of the face mask.
“I’m anxious to see how the splash shields work,” Saunders said. “The NFL isn’t really high on them. I talked to some guys about it and to a couple colleges as well. They tend to fog up like when you’re wearing a mask with glasses. It makes it harder to communicate. We’ll definitely wear them at practice.”
The Bobcats will continue to practice ahead of their Aug. 21 home scrimmage versus St. Francis. Information regarding crowd protocols inside Huff-Mosley Memorial Stadium will be available in the coming weeks.