With no letdown in sight, first-year head football coach Sean Word continues to get Griffin Christian High School geared up for his first season at the helm.

The Crusaders have been working out on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer.

“We’re keeping the boys motivated,” said Word, who succeeds Kerry Phillips as the Crusaders head coach. “Were getting 50-60 percent participation which is pretty good for us considering we have kids on mission trips and vacation.”

Phillips, who took over as interim head coach midway into the team’s inaugural season in 2006 (when they went 2-8), guided Griffin Christian to records of 1-10 in 2007, 4-6 in 2008, 7-4 in 2009 and 6-5 in 2010. During that time the Crusaders earned back-to-back GISA state playoff berths the past two season in addition to the team’s first region championship ever in 2009.

Word coached the school’s middle school team the past two seasons. When Phillips retired at the end of last season, he recommended Word for the head coaching.

In an effort to continue the team’s winning ways, Word and his staff will continue the team’s annual two-a-days.

“We’ll be going from July 25-29,” he said. “We’ll be practicing from 7 until 8:30 in the mornings, and from 7 until 8:30 in the evenings every day,” said Word.

Fans can catch their first glimpse of the team, since the spring scrimmage May 19 at John Milledge Academy in Milledgeville, Ga., when the Crusaders host Heritage at Nix Field in a preseason scrimmage Aug. 19.

All of that preparation will lead up to Griffin Christian’s season opener Aug. 26 at arch-rival Flint River Academy in Woodbury.

Word said the Crusaders will also have a fund-raising chickenque during its home opener Sept. 2 against Piedmont Academy out of Monticello, Ga.

Griffin Christian will play GISA Class AAA football for the second season in a row where they will again lace it up in Region 2-AAA.