CCRolly
From today's Daily Record:
At Wooster, second-year coach Doug Haas was actually wishing things were sped up more than they were at this point.
"I wish we were allowed to be in shoulder pads already," said Haas, whose Generals (3-7 last year) and the rest of the OHSAA teams were permitted to have helmets on, but have to wait until Wednesday to add shoulder pads.
"With the 10 practice days the state gives us and conditioning programs in the summer, I think most teams come into training camp in pretty good shape. It would be nice if we could use shoulder pads during some of those summer 'coaching days.' Counting the summer, this will be 12 days with just helmets, so I think our guys are really looking forward to getting the full pads on."
Like Lee, Haas said he'd like to see his players get tested a little more with warmer temperatures, but that didn't stop the Generals from doing actual testing.
For the first time, Haas has one of his teams holding training camp in the evening -- the usual practice times will be 4:10-8:25 p.m.
Wooster opened its camp by testing players in the 40-yard dash, bench press and agility drills. Senior wide receiver Ja'Vontae Lidge, who's expected to take graduated brother James Preston's spot at wide receiver, led the Blue and Gold by running a hand-timed 4.39 40. Junior cornerback-wide receiver Marquise Blair was close behind in 4.41. Haas is hoping both can step in as featured targets for 6-foot-5 returning junior quarterback Cam Daugherty.
After getting a later start than usual on the field due to the testing, Wooster continued to practice at a fast pace as its first-team offense and defense faced scout teams.
"We had a three-day overnight team camp at Ashland University last week, so this is kind of like an extension of our summer coaching days," Haas said. "I think that helped us look pretty crisp on both sides of the ball at times because they know a lot of their assignments and alignments. It was a pretty clean day and I'm pleased with that, but I know our kids are really ready to put their full pads on."
Haas said it was a tough decision to move practices from the morning to night, but consulted with his coaching staff and some other respected coaches in the region.
"This allows our kids to sleep in more and to perform on a schedule that's more like the one we'll have on Friday nights when our games are," Haas said. "Hopefully, it's a difference-maker for us."
Could be one of those years when several teams have 2 conf. Losses & there's a 2 or 3 way tie.