Newspaper Page Text
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
TEAMS
From page 1B
“I don’t know how, they just
come,” he added with a laugh.
New Warner Robins head
football coach Robby Pruitt
enjoyed his first day of official
practice under the Demon “R”
across from McConnell-Talbert.
In his first half-season as coach
he’s already begun to shake
things up with the full sup
port of 120 players, grades 9-12.
“We probably had 95-percent
here in the summer,” Pruitt
said, comparing the number of
students at Monday’s practice
with the turnout over the sum
mer. “I think probably that the
former coaching staff had such
a good work ethic with the kids
that they already know how to
work.”
According to Pruitt, he
received 99-percent participa
tion in the summer, which has
become his goal for the Demons
a year from now.
“That’s what we’ll get here
(Warner Robins),” Pruitt said.
“This is our first year so I feel
this is a good start. We’ve got a
long way to go, but the effort
and enthusiasm is there and the
kids are really working hard.”
As for the scenery on practice
day one, Pruitt was pleased.
“This is a beautiful setting,”
Pruitt said. “It’s a nice situa
tion.”
Pruitt also said he isn’t
changing anything for his
three-a-days next week. He will
have the athletes do condition
ing and weight lifting in the
morning, and two full practices
in the afternoon and evening.
“It’s good to be on the grass
and work,” Pruitt said.
It’s been an especially lengthy
summer for Pruitt who is still
commuting from Fitzgerald to
Warner Robins everyday.
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HHJ/Joah Gordon
Houston County offensive line coach Lee Pope proves the weight room has a different meaning
on the first day of mandatory practice Monday by using it to instruct his offensive line on
changes for the upcoming 2003 season.
GORDON
From page 1B
what Georgia used to step on
Tennessee’s collective face two
seasons ago.
Show them a video of the
2002 Super Bowl when the
Patriots came back to beat the
Rams 20-17 or the NFL’s ver
sion of “wide-right,” thanks to
Buffalo Bills kicker Scott
Norwood’s title fight gaffe,
pushing the championship win
ning kick wide.
The greatest games in the
history of football can captivate
the nation and teach the value
of a millimeter, which Titan
receiver Kevin Dyson learned
in Super Bowl XXXIV stretch
ing for the goal line to the
game-tying score just to come
up short by less than an inch.
So, how does football mes
merize the masses?
Pigskin’s popularity can be
attributed to the same reason
ing that has transformed pim
ply-faced Leßron James into a
national superstar: potential.
Magazine and newspaper
companies capitalize, making
enormous amounts of money
Dir main focus so
far this summer is
conditioning and
getting stronger, but
our locus will change
a little bit. This week
we're finishing up
summer workouts in
coiqunction with
practice for about an
hour/
- Northside head football coach
Conrad Nix
“It’s not as hard in the
evening as it is in the morning,”
he said.
Pruitt didn’t take a vacation
this summer, helping smooth
his transition into Warner
Robins.
“It’s a fast summer,” Pruitt
said. “I’ve been on the go, it’s
gone by fast.”
Northside, which is currently
holding its annual Ironman
competition, expected 98 stu
dents to be at practice Monday
and head coach Conrad Nix had
no doubt that all would be in
attendance, believing they have
much to do before the season
starts.
“They’ve (the students) been
pretty good,” he said. “We had
some to miss for various rea
sons, like vacation or something
like that but, we got to pick it
up a lot and we’re gonna pick it
up. Our main focus so far this
summer is conditioning and get
ting stronger, but our focus will
from pre-season magazines
and the recent explosion of fan
tasy football, which is turning
into an industry of its own. I,
for example, am already the
proud owner of an ever-grow
ing collection (currently at
four) of pre-season college foot
ball magazines, all of which I
have read cover to cover.
I have even employed the
services of my very under
standing better half, sending
me a “must have” tantalizing
football tome from the
Midwest.
My subscription to
Thelnsider.com about college
football recruiting and my
most frequently visited book
mark gavsv.com, keeps me up
to date on all of the happenings
in Georgia’s high school foot
ball ranks.
This is no longer borderline
addiction.
I am not on the cusp of need
ing football coursing through
my veins to survive. I am
already there.
Another reason football is
foremost come fall is the signif
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HHJ/Joah Gordon
The Warner Robins offensive line works on blocking and positioning for a field goal to give the kicker enough time boot an extra
point, or perhaps a deciding game-winner.
change a little bit. This week
we’re finishing up summer
workouts in conjunction with
practice for about an hour.”
Nix is pleased to have the
numbers but added he isn’t sure
if the quality is as good as it was
a season ago.
“Our senior class isn’t quite
as big as it’s been the last two
years,” Nix said.
“The numbers might be as
good as last year’s numbers, but
just talking about ability wise,
this 98 might not be as good as
last year’s.”
icance placed upon each game.
Teams can’t afford to lose
once or they’re considered out
of the hunt try finding that
truth in hockey, basketball or
baseball.
So, I feel it necessary to
defend my pigskin compulsion
against family members and all
other people who don’t know
you can only run the 3-4 if you
have enough team speed, the
quarterback is the most
demanding position in sports,
and that special teams are
often the difference in a game
... or championship.
Truth is, no sport better cap
tures the American spirit or
churns out great stories like
football. There’s no absence of
adored athletes, no dearth of
daunting defense and no
scarcity of super Saturdays.
Camps, mini-camps, two-a
days and three-a-days are
opening this week, making this
the first week in another prom
ising season, even for Bengals
fans.
This is the greatest week of
my life, until next week.
SPORTS
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HHJ Josh Gordon
Warner Robins head coach Robby Pruitt has said he is installing special teams drills all week to
make the transition to three-a-days with pads next week easier for the eager Demons.
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HHJ/Joah Gordon
Houston County football player Frank Alexander works on
squats at the school Monday as LaDarius Key spots him. The
Bears continued what they began earlier in the summer
agility, conditioning and weight training and will begin two-a
days starting July 28.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2003
HHJ Josh Gordon
Warner Robins head football
coach Robby Pruitt discusses
drills with utility player Stephen
Jackson at their first official
practice of the 2003 season
Monday at the school. Stephen,
no relation to teammate Ronnie
Jackson, is one of many players
hoping to impress the new
coach and earn or solidify their
starting position.
3B