Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3B
East Jackson Eagles ready to start fall football practice
By Brandon Reed
For the Eagle Faithful, the next
four weeks may seem like an
eternity.
That's because we’re less than
a month away from the opening
of the East Jackson Eagles’ 2010
football season.
The Eagles closed out their
breakthrough 2009 season as the
region runners-up. going 10-2
overall and 8-1 in the region and
reaching the second round of the
playoffs.
The season opens at home on
Aug. 27, as the Eagles play host
to the Warriors of White County
in a non-region pairing. But the
road to the season opener actually
Eagles at a glance
•Season opener: Aug. 27 vs. White
County
•Last year’s record: 10-2 overall,
8-1 region
•What else: The Eagles return 12
starters coming off last year’s break
through season, which included East
Jackson’s first playoff victory
begins on Monday, as the Eagles
take to the practice field in pads
and helmets for the first time for
fall practice on Monday.
Head football coach Frank
Caputo says when they get start
ed, he figures he’ll have around
60 kids come out.
“When school starts, we’ll
pick up another 20 to 25,” he
added.
The loss of seniors hasn’t hit
the Eagles as hard as it has some
other teams. In all, Caputo has 10
slots to be filled, including four
on offense and six on defense.
Despite the losses, Caputo says
they have a grasp on the direction
they want to go at this point.
“We’ve had in mind what
we’re going to do.” he said. “We
don’t change up anything. We’re
pretty much intact at what we
want to do.”
Caputo said their focus will be
pretty rudimentary once practice
begins on Monday
“We’ll start back all on the
fundamentals and rehash all of
that,” he said. “Just do a bunch of
fundamental work.”
One thing that Caputo and his
staff will be watching closely
over the next few weeks is the
heat.
With heat indexes reaching
into the triple digits, situations on
the practice field could become a
concern as the Eagles prepare for
the season.
“Most of our guys have been
with us all summer and are fairly
heat acclimated,” he said. “But
we’ll definitely be following the
Jackson County heat policy. But
if it gets too hot, we either go
inside or we suspend practice.
It’s really not worth the risk of
getting somebody dehydrated or
hurt because of the heat.”
Caputo said that practice days
can be made up if the need aris
es.
“If we need to go inside and
watch film or get on the board,
we’ll do that,” he added. “A lot
of times, we’ll go out with just
shorts on and not even a helmet
sometimes, so we can just walk
through stuff and do things like
that.”
So far, Caputo said, no sched
ule or opponent has been set
on scrimmages for later in the
month.
“We’re going to wait
and see how things pan out
before we determine how
much we’re going to hit on
each other,” he said. “Last
week, we were able to hit on
some others, so we feel like
we’re ahead of the curve on
that deal.”
Overall. Caputo said, it just
feels good to be closing in
on another season of East
Jackson Eagle football
“I’m just anxious to get
back to work, see all the kids
again, get school started and
get things rolling,” he said.
“We’re all looking forward
to it.”
IN THE
POCKET
Jasper
Gibson, 9,
looks down-
field Friday
for a receiver
at a football
camp held in
conjunction
with Jefferson
Parks and
Recreation
and the
Jefferson
High School
coaching
staff. One
hundred-fifty
kids partici
pated in the
camp.
Photo by Ben
Munro
LOOSE BALL
Joshua Allen, 14, knocks the ball loose from Casey Vaughn, 12, during a
drill Thursday during camp at Jackson County Comprehensive High School.
The football camp was a joint effort between the Jackson County Parks and
Recreation Department and high school coaches. Photo by Ben Munro
Summertime pigskin
Scenes from Jackson County
and Jefferson football camps
GOOD HANDS
Ayden Griswold, 7, hauls in a catch
Thursday at a football camp offered by
Jackson County Parks and Recand host
ed by Jackson County Comprehensive
High School. The camp drew 126 kids.
Photo by Ben Munro
QUARTERBACK ACCURACY
Josh Lee, 11, aims at his target
during a passing drill Thursday at
football camp at JCCHS.
Photo by Ben Munro
GETTING TO THE OUTSIDE
Terrell Wall, 10, breaks into the open field Friday during a football camp
coordinated by both the Jefferson Parks and Recreation Department
and Jefferson High School football coaches.
Photo by Ben Munro
YARDS
AFTER
CONTACT
Brandon
Norris catch
es a pass in
traffic Friday
during the
Jefferson
Parks and
Recreation/
Jefferson
High School
football camp.
Photo by Ben
Munro
Practice continued from IB
Though not mandatory, players at
both schools stay busy in the summer,
between weightlifting, seven-on-seven
passing league scrimmages and team
camps.
Jackson County has utilized an
accountability program the last four
years regarding offseason workouts
to great success. Incentives are also
involved. Those who attend all summer
activities get their name on the back of
their jerseys.
“We’ve had 65 plus kids in the weight
room three days a week all summer
long,” said Kirk, who took 68 players
to a voluntary passing league camp at
West Georgia. “It’s been great. It’s been
a great summer.”
McFerrin said summer is a busy time
for his squad, too, especially since much
of his roster comprises two-and-three
sport participants.
Sharing athletes in a small school
is natural, McFerrin said, but added
that players still made plenty of time
for football. In addition to weightlifting
and agility programs, Jefferson host
ed a series of pad-less, non-contact,
passing league scrimmages throughout
June and July with three other schools,
which aided Jefferson’s young quarter
backs and receivers. Several Dragons
also attended a recent lineman camp at
Flowery Branch.
“When we were able to have them
out there, they were there,” McFerrin
said of the offseason. “We had good
attendance.”
Now, with four weeks worth of one-a-
day practice ahead of them, both teams
turn their attention to their Aug. 27 sea
son openers.
Jefferson opens with rival Commerce,
while Jackson County faces Johnson.
Jackson Co. notes
As his team prepares for what should
be a highly-anticipated season locally,
Panther coach Billy Kirk praised the
voluntary work that his team put-in
during the summer months. Jackson
County is dropping down to a new
region, 8-AA, pitting it against near
by foes Jefferson and East Jackson
and traditional powerhouses like Hart
County.
“I think the kids know what’s on
the line,” Kirk said. “We’re going
down to 8-AA, and they know they’re
going to have to step their game up.”
As for Jackson County’s trip to
team camp at West Georgia, Kirk
reported a great first day when con
tacted Monday. Jackson County faced
three teams in seven-on-seven pass
ing scrimmages, beating Maynard
Jackson High School and Rabun
County and playing traditional Class
AAAAA powerhouse Parkview tight
ly for most of that contest. Parkview
didn’t score until the third quarter.
“For our program, to be on the
field with that team, a Class AAAAA
powerhouse, it was a big deal for our
kids,” Kirk said.
Jefferson notes
The Dragons enter preseason prac
tice looking to fill several spots on
the depth chart after going 11-1 last
year.
Jefferson lost 17 seniors, 12 of
which played both ways. Spots are
open all over the field, from line
backer to the secondary (where the
Dragons lost four starters) to the
receiving corps to the backfield.
Jefferson also enters preseason camp
with a sophomore (transfer Bryant
Shirreffs) and a freshman (Taylor
Poff) competing for starting quarter
back duties after the graduation of
standout Darius Minor
“That’s an unusual situation,” said
McFerrin, who noted that both made
strides in the summer. “They’ve got
to grow up in a hurry.”
The Dragons also enter preseason
practice a bit banged up. Eleven
players missed parts of the voluntary
summer program with injuries.
Still plenty of work got done over
in the offseason.
McFerrin noted that Jefferson’s
recent attendance at a lineman camp
at Flowery Branch — which included
12 other schools — was a success.
“I think it was good for our guys,”
McFerrin said. “I think they got a lot
of experience.”