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...Click here to see the 2008 Shorter College football schedule.
Humidity wasn’t the only thing in the air Thursday night. Enthusiasm, optimism and a heavy hint of pent-up aggression were also a part of the atmosphere at Garden Lakes Park during the Shorter College football team’s first practice of the year.
“I think it was easy to see that all of us, and especially the seniors, were ready to get out here today and hit somebody,” said offensive tackle Brad Smith, one of 40 seniors on the squad. “We’re extremely excited about the season, and we feel like we have a chance to compete for a conference title.”
The Hawks, looking to build on last year’s encouraging 7-4 record, practiced for 2½ hours in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts. The workout, which started at 6:30 p.m., was spirited and fast-paced.
And that was exactly the way t
Shorter assistant coach Shawn Turner (right) tries to strip the ball from Pierre Toran on Thursday. Ryan Smith / Rome News-Tribune |
he Shorter coaching staff wanted it.
The Hawks, after all, don’t have a moment to lose. They open the season in three weeks, traveling to Western Carolina to face the Catamounts, a NCAA Division I team, on Aug. 28.
“Today was an exciting day for us,” said Shorter head coach Phil Jones about the Hawks, who are preparing for their fourth season of football. “And it’s an important day because of the (timetable) we are dealing with.
“We don’t have a lot of time to stop and think. We’ve just got to move; got to get things done quickly,” he said.
Around lunchtime Thursday, it appeared the Hawks might be facing a tough obstacle on their opening day of practice: Bad weather.
But luckily, the band of thundershowers moved out of the area in the late afternoon, enabling the Hawks to get on the field as scheduled.
Granted, the turf was a little damp, and the humidity was off the charts — but it still beat the alternative of holding practice inside the Winthrop King Centre.
“We really didn’t think we were going to be able to go,” said Jones. “So we’re happy to be out here. It’s hot and humid, but we know that’s the story for everybody that’s trying to practice this week.”
The Hawks, who are set to begin two-a-days today, took numerous significant strides last season. They earned their first-ever national ranking, posted their first winning record and were in contention for a postseason berth for much of the season.
“We got a little taste of (success), and now we’re ready to add to that,” said Smith, a former star at Loganville.
The Hawks will practice twice today and again on Saturday. Next week, they will resume with two-a-days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and will hold one practice on Tuesday and Thursday.
The team will then have an intersquad scrimmage next Saturday (Aug. 16).
“It’s amazing to me that football season is here again,” said Jones. “In some ways, last season seems like a long, long time ago, and in other ways, it seems like it just happened.”
Although it will be a weighty challenge, Smith said the Hawks are excited about opening the season at Western Carolina.
“We’re looking at this as a chance to prove ourselves, and hopefully make a name for ourselves, too,” said Smith. “We want to show we can handle a (test) like this.”
Shorter is serving as the host school for this year’s NAIA title game at Barron Stadium — and the Hawks, of course, would love to be playing in the game in December.
“That’s a huge incentive for us,” said Smith. Even on the first day of practice.
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