High school football: Pads are on, practice is back, won't be long until season starts

AVON — High school football is back although for some it may feel like it never left. According to the Ohio High School Athletic Association calendar, Aug. 1 is the official opening day of football practice across the state. But with teams allowed 13 days of practice between May 13 and July 31, plus four acclimation days in July, Friday was a cross between a special event and another day at the office for area teams. In Avon, the Eagles continued preparation to defend their Division II state championship with an intrasquad scrimmage. For Eagles wide receiver Grant Barr, it didn't feel like a new beginning but there was still something special about lining up in game situations for the first time. "Maybe it's not as big as it once was but it's still important because it is our first time hitting and taking people to the ground," said Barr, one of Avon's nine captains. "So it brings a lot of excitement to the locker room." Avon scrimmaged in game-like conditions down to having five uniformed officials on the field proceeding over the festivities. "It used to be a really big deal," Elder said of the opening practice. "You used to do Midnight Madness and some people might still do that, but for us we want this to be a day for our intrasquad scrimmage. "You get 18 days from May 15 on and it really starts in January with your lifting and the work at T3 and your running, so for us it's been going on year round." Avon is one of two Lorain County schools who will open the season on Thursday, Aug. 21, when it hosts St. Ignatius. Therefore the Eagles have one less day to prepare for the season than many of their peers. "It feels good to be back out here. We're really excited and we have a lot of talent coming back. We're ready to hit people," senior defensive back Jerry Clements said. "We know we have a target on our back and we're excited for that. We're ready to take on the challenges of this season." Eagles defensive back Jakob Weatherspoon, who had committed to Ohio State during the offseason but changed his committment to the University of North Carolina a few weeks ago, knows how important each practice is for Avon. "Coming into this new season we have a young team but we're a pretty skilled team," Weatherspoon said. "We have to take advantage of every opportunity to get better." Over at Amherst, senior wide receiver David Dudziak said the best part of opening day is the contact. "It's great being able to go out and really hit someone and not get in trouble for it," Dudziak said. "We've been in the weight room four or five days a week, we've been doing a lot of conditioning. and we've had a lot of seven-on-sevens. All of that has really helped us. I think we're becoming a really good team." After wrapping up the first official practice, Comets coach Tom Thome said he is happy with where his team is three weeks prior to opening the season against Sandusky in a game that will be played at Avon Lake High School as Amherst completes the finishing touches on its newly refurbished stadium. "I think we're ahead of where we've been the past two years," Thome said. "Because we have so many guys returning up front, we're expanding on things we did last year. One thing we need to see, who's going to be the leader when we have adversity." Opening day is a little different for Comets senior quarterback Cy Christensen as it's the first one he's spending in an Amherst helmet after playing his first three seasons at Clearview. "It's a big change but I'm happy with it. Everything is going great so far and we're looking good as a team," Christensen said. "Today was a big day but every day is a big day when you get to come out and work hard and give it your all with your teammates." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.