The first football games for Winder-Barrow and Apalachee are still more than two months away, but in many ways it is already crunch time.
It’s crunch time for coaches and players because when the countdown gets under three months the start of the season will be here in the blink of an eye.
“Summer just started but it will be gone before you know,” AHS coach Shane Davis said Sunday night.
For Davis’ long-time coaching partner, and now WBHS coach David Wagner, the time probably will go by even quicker, simply because he doesn’t want it to.
Wagner and his coaching staff in Bulldogg land are installing new schemes across the board and every day, every minute even, are so vital. Wagner and company are taking advantage of summer workouts, both in the weight room and on the field for conditioning and becoming more familiar with the playbook, before fall practices begin in early August.
“You really can’t go over things enough times in terms of repetition,” Wagner said. “We try to cover everything over and over. It’s the only way you are going to retain everything. You never really feel like you have covered everything enough times.”
While AHS won the Region 8-AAAA crown in 2009, both programs will probably be looking at somewhat of a similar path this fall. The Wildcats lost a slew of front line players and will take practically a miracle to replace everyone.
Over at WBHS, Wagner is attempting to build a winning tradition, much like he helped Davis do at AHS. It won’t be easy as the Bulldoggs have not been a frequent visitor to the postseason. Still, Wagner knows what it takes to build a winner and if given time can do it at Winder-Barrow.
The upcoming season will be an interesting one to watch. (For die-hards like myself, they are all fun to watch to be honest). AHS will look to continue its playoff streak while WBHS is hoping to begin building a successful tradition of its own.
As the countdown to Aug. 27 continues, look for local players and coaches to continue putting in the necessary hours to be successful. It’s the part of high school football that too often goes unnoticed by those who like to complain about teams not being successful enough. In the hot confines of the weight room and out in the steamy environment of the practice field, work is being done. Day in and day out the coaches and players are working to get better.
Each day that passes brings us closer to Aug. 27.
Don’t be surprised if you see David Wagner or Shane Davis checking a calendar or even their watches. Once June arrives, the start of a new football season can’t be that far behind.
It’s not typical football weather, but football will be here before you know it.
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On the Atlanta Braves front, I’m trying not to think about this being the final season for Bobby Cox. It just won’t be the same without him in the dugout.
Let’s hope the team can make the playoffs and send him out a winner.
Here’s to a successful summer for the Braves.
Chris Bridges is the sports editor of the Barrow Journal. Send comments about this column to cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
