DECATUR — The Decatur Bulldogs started their first practice of the season last week, far ahead of where they were a year ago, according to head coach Shane Holland.
Holland welcomed 20 players to practice last week, but he expects that number to swell when school begins. On the first day of practice last year, only a handful of kids showed up, but on Monday only two or three players were missing, Holland said.
"We think we've comea long way in a year. We've come a long way in turnout, we’ve come a long way in percentages, we've come a long way in knowledge of the system... We've had a lot of guys work hard over the summer and it’s helped," Holland said.
Last year’s team consisted of mostly sophomore and junior players, now those players are back with experience under their belt. In addition, a number of freshmen who played on last year’s conference champion junior-high football team have moved up to contribute to the team.
"I'm a lot more upbeat than I was last year," Holland said.
Holland said one of the greatest challenges he sees for the team is a lack of depth, especially in the linemen positions. The players will need to be in very good condition physically and have already been working to develop their fitness. The team will also need to stay healthy throughout the season.
While it was still only the first day, Holland said he anticipates senior Evan Owens and sophomore Victor Urquidi to play a lot of key positionsthis year. Holland is also expecting seniors Avery Clay and Elijah McIver to be key players in their offensive and defensive lines.
The team will play Gentry in a benefit game on Aug. 23. Their first official game of the season will be an away game against Subiaco Academy. The Bulldogs will face JC Westside in their first home game on Sept. 28.
Sports, Pages 9 on 08/08/2012