Practice time is precious to squads

The debate whether to practice football Saturday, the first day the high school state association allowed Georgia teams to do so, never really resonated in two places.

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Michael Holahan/Staff

Players wait for their chance to take the field during the first day of football practice at Hephzibah High School.

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Michael Holahan/Staff

Hephzibah head coach John Bowen talks to his team during the first day of football practice at Hephzibah High School.

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Michael Holahan/Staff

Hephzibah players rally during their first day of practice. Grovetown also practiced on Saturday. Other schools are waiting until Monday to begin.

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Michael Holahan/Staff

Hephzibah players go through blocking drills during their first practice of the season. The school has no place to practice inside, so the team is taking advantage of every day with good weather.

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Different circumstances demanded Hephzibah and Grovetown be on the practice field as soon as possible because they couldn't afford to fall behind. Grovetown will open its inaugural season Aug. 21, a week before any other area Georgia team. Hephzibah wants to take advantage of every possible day of favorable weather because it has no place to practice inside. Its gym is under construction. Any time it storms, the Rebels will be unable to practice.

Several area teams will wait until Monday to begin practice on a regimented weekly schedule.

"I'm sure some people did take the day off. I guess we figure we'll make it a blessing," Hephzibah coach John Bowen said. "Every day we can get out here is going to be important, and we were going to go whether we had 15 or 50 out here."

The Rebels had a little more than 30 show up for the first day.

Grovetown, Columbia County's newest high school, marked its first official day as a program looking like it had been at it for years. Linemen lifted in a sterling weight room, skill position players raced through drills on the practice field and three players jogged laps around the track as penalty for arriving late. More than 70 players turned out for the first day to take instructions from 13 coaches.

"The first full day, you can't miss it," coach Rodney Holder said. "I don' think that would have sent a good message to our kids. If we had an opportunity to practice, why are we not practicing when they worked hard all summer."

Holder said the school petitioned the state association to play a game in what is called Week 0, on Aug. 21, a weekend when virtually the only other games in the state take place in the Georgia Dome during the Corky Kell Classic. The only open week for Buford, the Gwinnett County school offering to play Grovetown, was Aug. 21. Buford has won its past 30 games and is a two-time defending Class AA state champion.

"It gives us a look at what the top looks like; that is going to go a long way in selling the vision we have," Holder said. "We've got a plan, got a program and the kids understand that. We're not going to get gimmicky. If you are doing what you do and doing it right, it shouldn't matter."

Reach Matt Middleton at (706) 823-3425 or matt.middleton@augustachronicle.com.