The Jackson County Panther football team finished the spring with 91 players on the field and 1,000 fans in the stands — two signs that indicate there’s a buzz surrounding coach Billy Kirk’s squad.
“The place was packed,” said Kirk of the Panthers’ May 15 scrimmage game. “There’s a lot of excitement … It’s very exciting to be a part of this.”
The countdown to kickoff begins now as the season opens Aug. 27 at home against Johnson, which went 3-7 in 2009.
Coming off a 4-6 campaign, Jackson County’s best season in 12 years, the Panthers, who drop down to Class AA, go into the summer looking to feed off that spring excitement.
The Panthers — in search of their first winning season in 18 years — started three-day-a-week weightlifting sessions Monday as early preparations for the 2010 season have begun.
Jackson County has other offseason training activities planned, including seven-on-seven passing league sessions in July in Hall County. These are pad-less, non-contact scrimmages against other schools.
“Passing league is for one thing —teaching kids how to compete,” Kirk said.
Also on tap is a July 26-28 trip to West Georgia for a team camp that pits Jackson County against others squads from around the state in seven-on-seven games. West Georgia also offers a lineman camp.
Jackson County has had a knack for keeping players working in the offseason, implementing an offseason accountability program to much success.
In fact, under Kirk’s watch, the Panthers have had more than 90 percent of its players participate in offseason workouts.
Kirk expects that to continue to grow this year.
“To me, the summer is a big deal,” Kirk said. “For us, it’s one of those things that we try to take care of.”
Despite returning only four starters on offense and four on defense, Jackson County goes into the summer with plenty to work with.
With 91 players participating in spring workouts, the Panthers enter the summer at 2-3 deep in some spots on the depth chart. Kirk feels like his team will be able to fill the gaps left open due to graduation.
“I feel like we’re in a good place,” he said.
