Gilmer High wrapped up its spring football practice last Wednesday.
It was a time to not only get acquainted with personalities, but with methods and procedures. Head coach Paul Standard was hired in January, and he spent the following months assembling a coaching staff that includes only three holdovers from last year.
“The kids got to know the coaches and the coaches got to know the kids. I think that was really important to get this process started,” Standard said of the two weeks of practice. “It was great that I had all the staff members there. Well, we are still short one, and I’m in the process of trying to hire that last coach. So, the process was good.
“The second part was that our kids were able to get introduced to our base offense and base defensive systems. So from a technical Xs and Os standpoint, that went well. I think they’ve got an idea of how we want to run a practice, and that’s so important.”
Because most assistants were finishing up the year at their soon-to-be previous schools, practice did not begin each day until 5 p.m. Players still reported to the field house directly after school. Following a quick snack, they were given some time to relax or complete homework before a team meeting to discuss the day’s practice.
“It was great for us as coaches, but I know those players were probably hating life,” Standard said. “That’s my whole point. They took something completely foreign to them: having to sit around for two hours to start practice and they were great. They did a great job, and I’m very impressed with that.”
A new experience for Standard was coaching Gilmer’s rising ninth graders. At St. Pius, they had a separate staff that coached freshman players while Standard concentrated on sophomores, juniors and seniors.
“This will sound crazy, but I have not coached a freshman my whole career really ... maybe back in my early years at Loganville or Meadowcreek,” Standard said. “What I was so excited about was how these kids responded. Our ninth graders look as good as any group I had at St. Pius. I’m very pleased with our ninth grade. I know they’ve never practiced like that before, and they kept coming back.”
Standard assessed the Bobcats’ on-field performance during the course of spring, saying, “I felt like the total defense has started to pick up what coach Jeff Nelson wants done. It is truly different from what they were coached to do the past couple years. Offensively, it’s similar in some ways. Seth Darling at quarterback has done a good job picking it up.”
However, the area of improvement remains the number of players on the team, which is currently in the mid-50s, and nearly half are incoming freshman.
“My concern right now is our lack of depth on both sides of the line,” Standard said. “I think our top group is pretty good. But unfortunately right now, they’re going to have to turn around and play defense, which is not realistic to play 48 minutes. Also our lack of depth at tight end, which is a big position for us.
“The last concern is probably our defensive backfield. We’ve got to create some type of depth because our starters there also start in our offensive backfield.”
GHS will look to shore up intangibles as well, which are vital to the team’s success.
“We’re starting to see a little bit of leadership step forward,” Standard said. “As I told them, we’re starting to see it, and now it needs to improve and get better. My definition of leadership is ‘serving your teammates and bringing those teammates with you to your level.’ They’re getting the notion of what we’re looking for.”
Camaraderie is also a pivotal ingredient to Standard’s recipe for success. He started a tradition at St. Pius, and the Bobcats got a taste of it at the conclusion of spring.
“Our booster club has been phenomenal,” Standard said. “Our president Paul Kiker and all the board members have been tremendous. At St. Pius we did a thing called ‘Tube steak Tuesdays.’ After practice, the moms would boil hot dogs. Players got that, a bag of chips and a drink. No big production, just something very simple.
“I wanted to try that at the end of spring, which we did. It went great just like I envisioned it. We had all these booster club members and parents who were just there serving the boys. The players got to act like kids and it was just a pleasure to see.”
The Bobcats will have two weeks off before offseason preparations begin June 7. Players will report for 7 a.m. weight training before an hour and a half practice in helmets and shorts. Their day will conclude with conditioning.
Clear Creek Middle School players will report to the field house after GHS has finished, and they will repeat the process.