Spalding High scout team quarterback Trae Moran runs a play as defensive end, Jake Jeffcoat, tries to find an angle on him during practice Monday morning. It was the first day high school teams across the state of Georgia could practice in full pads. (JOHN SULLIVAN/DAILY NEWS)
This is what greeted Griffin High football players when they reported to camp Monday at Memorial Stadium. It was the first day high school teams across the state could practice in full pads. (JOHN SULLIVAN/DAILY NEWS)
“It’s hot and the sun is beaming down, but they pushed through it pretty good for the first day,” Griffin head coach Steve DeVoursney, in his 10th season guiding the Bears, said after the team’s early session from 4-5:50 p.m., behind the stands at Memorial Stadium.
Griffin — 75 players strong — went without pads during that session, but they put them on for the evening session back at the school from 7:30-10:15 p.m., where they can’t practice during the day because of on-going construction at the high school. The Bears will have the same practice schedule today before branching out to three-a-days Wednesday and Thursday (8:20-11 a.m. at the stadium and two sessions between 2:50-10:25 p.m. at the school), while cutting back to two-a-days Friday and having picture day Saturday.
Across town, Spalding High — 52 players strong — is practicing in the morning and then again in the morning Tuesday, before taking Wednesday off, practicing 1 p.m. Friday and having picture day 8 a.m., Saturday. They wore full pads for Monday’s morning session.
The Jaguars, under the direction of new head coach Nick Davis, got a jump start by going to summer camp last week at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus.
“I thought we made some progress,” Davis, a veteran head coach beginning his 12th season, said. “We got a lot of work done. fundamentally, I thought we got better as a team. But we still have a long way to go.”
Davis said the team’s goal is to, “Win every game, and ultimately a state championship. Our short-term goals are to get mentally and physically tougher every day we’re out here, because without that we’re not going to get better.”
Davis takes over a program that has been to the state playoffs only once — two years ago — since its run to the 2003 Class AAA state semifinals in the Georgia Dome. Griffin, meanwhile, is trying to extend its streak of 10-win seasons to four in a row and seven in the last eight seasons in addition to trying to extend its school record streak of consecutive state playoff appearances to 11 in a row.
The two teams clash in the season opener Aug. 26.
However, both have preseason scrimmages before then. Griffin hosts Newnan on Aug. 12, the same night Spalding travels to Zebulon, Ga., to take on Pike County. Both local head coaches reminded their teams in practice Monday the preseason scrimmage were only two weeks away.
GRIFFIN HIGH
Preseason
Date|Opponent|Time
8/12 |Newnan|7:00
Regular Season
Date |Opponent |Time
8/26 |Spalding |7:30
9/2 |@ Upson-Lee |7:30
9/9 |Harris County |7:30
9/16 |@ Jones County |7:30
9/23 |@ Alcovy |7:30
9/ 30 |Woodland |7:30
10/7 |OPEN |——
10/14 |@ Union Grove |7:30
10/20 |Dutchtown |7:00
10/28 |Ola |7:30
11/4 |Region Playoffs |7:30
SPALDING HIGH
Preseason
Date |Opponent |Time
8/12 |@ Pike Co. |7:30
Regular Season
Date |Opponent |Time
8/26 |Griffin |7:30
9/1 |@ LaGrange |7:00
9/8 |Drew |7:00
9/16 |@ Stockbridge |7:30
9/23 |Eastside |7:30
9/30 |@ Eagle’s Landing |7:30
10/7 |Jackson |7:30
10/14 |@ Henry Co. |7:30
10/21 |Sandy Creek |7:30
10/28 |@ Locust Grove |7:30
GRIFFIN CHRISTIAN
Preseason
Date |Opponent |Time
8/19 |Heritage |7:30
Regular Season
Date |Opponent |Time
8/26 |@ F. River |7:30
9/2 |Piedmont |7:30
9/9 |@ Fullington |7:30
9/16 |J. Milledge |7:30
9/23 | @ Mt de Sales |7:30
9/30 |Stratford |7:30
10/7 |@Tattnall Sq. |7:30
10/14 |OPEN |——
10/21 |Trinity Christ. |7:30
10/28 |@ Mt. Vernon |7:30
11/4 |Dominion |7:30
FAITH CHRISTIAN
Regular Season
Date |Opponent |Time
8/26 |TBA |7:30
9/2 |Grace Academy |7:30
9/9 |@ Twiggs Academy |7:30
9/16 |@ Ballard |7:30
9/23 |Praise Academy |7:30
9/30 |TBA |7:30
10/7 |Life Christian |7:30
10/14 |Heritage Christian |7:30
10/21 |Comm. Christian |7:30
10/28 |N. Ga. Christ. |7:30
11/4 |1st Rd. Playoffs|TBA
SKIPSTONE ACADEMY
Preseason
Date|Opponent|Time
8/12 |@ Jamboree|TBA
Regular Season
Date |Opponent |Time
8/26 |Appling Christian |7:30
9/2 |@ Peoples Baptist |7:30
9/9 |Philadelphia Christ. |7:30
9/16 |@ N. Ga. Christ. |7:30
9/23 |Comm. Christian |7:30
9/30 |Colonial Hills |7:30
10/7 |@ Faith Bap. Christ.|7:30
10/14 |OPEN |——
10/21 |Kings Way |7:30
10/28 |TBA |7:30
11/4 |All-Star Game|TBA
GEORGIA
Date |Opponent|Time
9/3 |Boise State |8:00
9/10 |South Carolina |4:30
9/17 |Coastal Carolina|TBA
9/24 | @ Ole Miss * |TBA
10/1 |Miss State * |TBA
10/8 |@ Tennessee * |TBA
10/15 |@ Vanderbilt * |TBA
10/29 |vs. Florida * |3:30
11/5 |N. Mexico St. |TBA
11/12 |Auburn * |TBA
11/19 |Kentucky * |TBA
11/26 |@ Ga Tech |TBA
GEORGIA TECH
Date|Opponent|Time
9/1 |Western Carolina |7:30
9/10 |@ Mid. Tenn. St |7:00
9/17 |Kansas |12:30 p.
9/24 |No. Carolina |TBA
10/1 |@ NC State |TBA
10/8 |Maryland |TBA
10/15 |@ Virginia |TBA
10/22 |@ Miami |TBA
10/29 |Clemson |TBA
11/10 |Va. Tech |8:00
11/19 |@ Duke |TBA
11/26 |Georgia |TBA
ATLANTA FALCONS
Preseason
Date |Opponent |Time
8/12 |Miami |7:30
8/19 |@ Jacksonville |8:00
8/27 |@ Pittsburgh |7:30
9/1 |Baltimore |7:30
Regular Season
Date|Opponent|Time
9/11 |@ Chicago |1:00
9/18 |Philadelphia |8:20
9/25 |@ Tampa Bay |4:15
10/2 |@ Seattle |4:00
10/9 |Green Bay |8:20
10/16 |Carolina |1:00
10/23 |@ Detroit |1:00
11/6 |@ Indianapolis |1:00
11/13 |New Orleans |1:00
11/20 |Tennessee |1:00
11/27 |Minnesota |1:00
12/4 |@ Houston |1:00
12/11 |@ Carolina |1:00
12/15 |Jacksonville |8:20
12/26 |@ New Orleans |8:30
1/1 |Tampa Bay |1:00
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