Football: Shorter gearing up to close out 1st week of spring drills

The Latest Local News from the Rome News

When the final of four practices they held in the first week of spring drills came to a close Saturday morning, the Shorter football team walked off Brady Field knowing they were way ahead of the off-season curve.

There was also a noticeable curve in the shape of a smile on the face of their head coach.

“Ever since we came back from the Christmas break, our kids have demanded that they get it done,” Phil Jones, who has been at the helm of the Hawks since the program started 11 years ago, said after the team had put Week 1 of its spring workouts in the book. “They’ve gotten it done running and conditioning by themselves and in the weight room. They’re excited and I’m excited.”

“There’s no question,” he quickly added, “that this was the best first week of spring we’ve had.”

Thanks to the 5 a.m. workouts the players conducted on their during the first two months of the year, the Hawks immediately jumped into what could be considered midseason practice form at the start of the week with the team focusing on its defensive and offensive fundamentals. As the week progressed, the team gradually geared up, working out in helmets only on the first two days, adding shoulder pads for Friday’s session and Saturday was in full gear.

With less than 30 minutes to go in the 90-minute morning sessions, the Hawks — much to their delight — turned the session into a full-contact affair, with the interior players on both sides of the ball and receivers and secondary holding their own full speed showdowns before the entire offensive and defensive units squared off for a scrimmage before calling it a day.

“The defensive guys have game experience,” said Jones, noting that the Hawks return virtually every player returning for the 2015 season. “They have the leadership and are going in the right direction.

“Offensively,” the coach continued, “we’re getting good looks at all the players, especially the young linemen who haven’t played a lot but are working very hard.

“They’re all doing everything we’ve asked them to do.”

Shorter opens the season at home on Sept. 4 against non-conference foe University of Faith, then heads out for four straight road trips over the next four weeks.

Source: Rome News

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