Last day of July is first day for high school football workouts
With Abilene area baked most of July - 100 degrees, at least, for 20 of the past 21 days.
Monday, when football drills began for Class 4A and smaller schools, was no different.
Despite the heat, it was time for high school teams from Albany to Zephyr to begin workouts. Most workouts were scheduled in the morning, with Comanche beginning at 12:01 a.m.
A Class 3A team, Comanche went 10-2 last season and returns standout running back Sawyer Wilkerson - already named to the Reporter-New preseason football all-star team. He rushed for 2,600 yards in 2022.
More: Kickoff 2023: All-Big Country Preseason High School Football Team
Excitement was high.
And then there's Albany, which had an even better season. The Lions went 14-2 and longtime coach Denney Faith won its first state championship in December. One loss was to ... Comanche.
The Lions always are a team to beat in Class 2A, and with two-way standout Adam Hill back for his senior year and 245-pound Zane Waggoner back to block for him, along with Wyatt Windham on defense, the road to Arlington could go through Albany again.
Hawley, too, starts the season as a defending state champion. The Bearcats did not lose a game in winning their first football title.
"We’ve got our work cut out for us," said head coach Mitch Ables, who, like Faith, has key positions to fill.
Most Big Country teams will play their first games Aug. 25, meaning there are four weeks to get prepared.
Can the area have another banner year with four state champs? Benjamin and Westbrook went back-to-back in six-man finals at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in late December.
That means four Big Country teams began workouts Monday on a winning streak.
That hadn't crossed Albany coach Denney Faith's mind. He was beginning a football season for the 42nd year.
"But our kids have been very motivated in the spring and the summer. I think after winning it, instead of being satisfied, it made them more hungry," he said. "And it has made me, too.
"I can honestly say I'm greedy."
Here's how it shaped up in Erath, Jones and Shackelford counties the first day of football workouts:
Comanche wastes no time
At Comanche, it's almost an embarrassment of riches for head football coach Jake Escobar.
"We've got 19 seniors this year and 78 total on the team," he said. That adds up to two JV teams alongside the varsity.
But if anything, that bounty only makes him more anxious to get his boys on the field to prove that last year wasn't simply a one-off. To that end, the Indians began their 2023 season one minute past the official starting time.
Assistant coaches stood outside the entrance to the school's locker room, blocking the way as they reminded the team that no one could enter until the clock struck 12. Sort of a reverse Cinderella.
Escobar greeted each player as he entered the locker room, cleats in their hands and a light in their eyes. Parents and fans welcomed they players when they finally came out together, long shadows stretching from the parking lot streetlights as they made their way to the stadium, now brightly lit.
Most of the early morning session took the form of conditioning at first, then transitioned to blocking, passing and other drills. Normally, the team will practice on the baseball field starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday, but for this first session they enjoyed the stadium grass, even if they did have to share it with a few curious toads that managed to hop away from speeding receivers or rolling linemen.
By 2:30 a.m., everyone was spent but there still remained a group of fans in the stands, perhaps 30 or so, who cheered the players as they left the field, walking beside the waist-high fence to shake hands with the ones who stayed until the end.
Albany's early goal is to define this year's team
At Albany, the sun was out and it already was 81 degrees, according to the electronic sign at the Albany High School campus, when the Lions emerged from their locker room.
Stretching and agility drills began the day.
Faith and his staff welcomed more than 40 players to the field. A few more are expected. The varsity players wore red shirts and junior varsity gray with slogans - "Be remembered." "United we can." "Earned not given."
Faith watched his players from the middle of the track stadium field - the sprinklers were going full blast at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium to the west - as they worked in five groups.
Coaches shouted encouragement above the increasing heavy breathing of the athletes.
"Thataway to work, baby!"
"Eat that pain like candy!"
"Buckle those chinstraps like you're playing football!"
The head coach gathered his players before a water break. He said this wasn't all about football. It was about life. You have to work hard to succeed. We're going to work you hard. If you can do this, you can do anything. Be someone who's more than himself.
"We're going to have to find some kids," Faith said of graduating standout players. "But the core is there if we can stay healthy and get a few breaks. I think the opportunity and the potential is there."
His goal during workouts and scrimmages is to find out what the Lions can do well this year, and hone that to perfection.
"Different team, different personality," he said.
Faith said he enjoys his job as much as ever.
"Right now," he said, ready to blow his whistle and motivate his team, "I'm just looking forward to the season."
Hawley reloads after historic season
Hawley began fall camp shortly after 9 a.m. Monday as a defending state champion for the first time in program history. The Bearcats beat Refugio 54-28 for its first title – a year after falling to Shiner 47-12 in the Bearcats’ first state final appearance.
“It feels good, but it just goes to show you that you have to start over now,” said Mitch Ables, who begins his 10th year at Hawley. “It’s a new season. A clean slate. We’ve got a lot of new guys that we’ve got to find spots for, try to put the best product together.”
The Bearcats graduated some outstanding talent from a 16-0 team, including quarterback Rodey Hooper (5,780 yards, 62 TDs passing the last two seasons) and running back Austin Cumpton (2,176 yards, 14 TDs rushing), who also was a force on defense. Also gone are WR/DB Kason O’Shields and WR/LB Will Scott – both major contributors on both sides of the ball.
Yet, the cupboard isn’t bare, with WR/DL Diontay Ramon, WR/DB Chandlin Myers and RB/DL Landon Sykora among 12 returning lettermen, including five starters on offense and four on defense. All three will be counted on to make a difference on both offense and defense.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who played both ways last year, who are going to be big-time players for us,” said Ables, who expected 45-50 players to report on Day 1 of fall camp. “But those gaps left by players who are graduated and gone, we’ve got to fill those in the best we can."
It sounds daunting, but Hawley is 64-7 overall and 23-0 in district since 2018, including 31-1 overall the last two seasons. The Bearcats have played in the last three region finals.
“There’s always pressure to win,” Ables said. “I’ve got a good coaching staff, a good group of guys. We’ll sit down after we evaluate and try to put them in the best spots to be successful.”
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Last day of July is first day for high school football workouts
