Colonels continue summer preparations
Like all high school football programs across the state of Georgia, Cass head football coach Bobby Hughes and the Cass Colonels have been hard at work this summer preparing for the 2015 season.
The Colonels have been in the weight room, on the field conditioning, and at camps, workouts, and passing tournaments throughout a busy summer.
“We took the first week off after school dismissed for the summer and we couldn’t work out during the GHSA dead week, but other than that we’ve gone 9am until noon every Monday through Thursday or we’ve been at a camp or 7-on-7 event,” said Hughes.
The Colonels head coach said his participation numbers have been as high as the low nineties, but seventy-five to eighty have consistently been at workouts and practices.
“The leadership with our core group of returning players has continued to improve. We made great strides in that area last year and we feel like we’ve been able to build on that again this year,” noted the head coach.
He also said he has witnessed other key improvements over the summer.
“Our work in the weight room will be noticeable and we feel like our physical conditioning has improved,” said Hughes.
Cass has less than two weeks remaining in their summer workout routines before they begin official practices. Those practices begin with five days of Georgia High School Association required acclimatization in helmets and shorts only.
Hughes talked about the upcoming practice schedule for his team.
“With school starting so early in August these days, we really only have one week of practices in pads before we get into a regular school day routine. After that, we begin putting in our game plans and getting ready for our first game. The school calendar, as much as anything, has dictated how we structure the pre-season practices.”
This past weekend, Cass attended a 7-on-7 event at Douglas County High School. It was the third year in a row the Colonels have attended the event. Jason Respert, offensive coordinator on Hughes’ staff when he was in Macon, is now the head coach at Douglas County. Other schools in the event included Glade Central (FL) now led by former Cass head coach, Rick Casko, 2013 state champions Creekside, Lithia Springs, Banneker, Colonial Hills, Douglas County, and Whitifled Academy among others.
Hughes said his squad held its own in the win-loss category, but noted his staff may utilize the passing tournaments differently than other programs.
“7-on-7 events are good, but we take a different approach than many of the teams we see in the summer. Some of the coverages implemented by teams can be a little unrealistic to real game situations, so it gets a little frustrating sometimes for the offense. We try to work on things within our base schemes that we will do in a real game. We don’t scheme just for a competition.”
Coach Hughes said he was pleased with the outcomes at Douglas County.
“Our kids played in eight straight 30-minute games and the format was down and distance, so the offense stays on the field if they convert a first down. We got some good work in for both our offense and our secondary. The competition was intense and the game tempo was pretty similar to Friday night conditions. I was really glad to see our conditioning pay off in that setting.”
The 2015 Cass Colonels will travel to Adairsville for a pre-season scrimmage August 14 and will open the regular season at home August 28 against Cartersville.
Bartow Sports Zone and AM1270 WYXC will broadcast all ten Cass regular season football games this year, plus four Adairsville games, three Woodland games, and Cartersville at Cass. The games will also be available over any internet connection using www.bartowsportszone.com and on mobile devices via the free TuneIn app.
