Summer practice started Aug. 1, but Madison County wasn’t scheduled to go to full-contact workouts until today (Thursday).
Head coach Randell Owens said he’ll be able to tell which players are separating themselves from the pack by next week when the team has a few harder-hitting practices under its belt.
“Can we call a play and the kid remember what to do?” Owens said of the things he’ll be looking for out of the more intense workouts.
The team is working toward its Aug. 29 opener with Rockdale County.
As expected, the practice conditions are hot, but Owens said the team has handled the summer temperatures well so far.
“It’s been hot, but it hasn’t been ridiculously hot,” he said, noting that the athletic trainers have done a good job of keeping the players supplied with water.
Picture day is next up for the team Saturday, beginning at 8:20 a.m.
Other big preseason calendar dates are Madison County’s Red and Gray game on Friday, Aug. 15, and a road scrimmage with Franklin County on Friday, Aug. 22. “Then we’ll sit down Sunday and say, ‘OK, what do we have to do to beat Rockdale?’” Owens said.
NOTES: Dan Bailey has joined the Raider staff as a coaching defensive ends coach. He comes to Madison County from Johnson (Gainesville) High School … The Raiders have been setting up their new weight room with all equipment having been delivered … Owens said that freshmen team coach Stanley Pruett will be in the team’s thoughts. Pruett will be undergoing open-heart surgery soon. “Our prayers go out to coach Pruett and his family,” Owens said.
For more coverage of Madison County football, see the Aug. 7 edition of The Madison County Journal.
