It was week two of fall practice for the Paris Eagles football team. On a sweltering August morning, the Eagles took part in a little more than two hour practice session that included offensive, defensive, and special teams practices. The Eagles practiced in full pads today and added acclimatizing to the heat as part of their preseason conditioning.
As the team moves forward, it is obvious to the casual observer that the team, like all other teams in the state, have not had the opportunity to work as a team. Timing issues with the passing game, blocking, and pass coverage issues on defense were apparent. These are significant issues as the players also continue to condition themselves to both contact and the August heat.
But make no mistake about it, this Paris team is loaded with both talent and experience, and that too showed in today’s practice. In today’s practice, the Eagles skill position players and their enormous talent on both the offensive and defensive lines was impressive. As the Eagles continue their preparation over the next few weeks, the team should continue to come together and begin to gel. Again, this is a factor that all Arkansas high school teams are going through after the cancellation of spring practice and off-season workouts. It may be the end of September before teams begin to reach seasonal playing form with respect to the quality of play.
This morning’s practice began with a spirited drill of one-on-one blocking that set the tone for a physical practice. The Paris coaching staff emphasizes conditioning, teaching, and skill practice in group portions of practices. The team spent approximately one hour on defensive preparation, and the next hour was spent on offense. At the end of hour two, the team moved into special teams practice and finished with conditioning. The Eagles are working hard, and the effort is there. This could be a big season for the Eagles.
The next phase of the Eagles preparation for the 2020 season will be a preseason scrimmage against Magazine High School. Paris will host the Rattlers next Tuesday. In a “normal” year, coaches enter preseason games with fingers crossed that the game can be played without injuries that could impact the season. This year, that factor, along with the threat of the COVID-19 virus will be big concerns. With the short period to prepare for the season, the scrimmages are a chance to prepare against another team before the regular seasons begins. So, the Paris coaching staff will be walking a very fine line between preparing for the season opener and protecting their players.
Resident Press will continue to follow the Eagles as they move forward with their practices and preparations for the upcoming season. RP will cover next week’s scrimmage with Magazine, and will continue its coverage throughout the season. Stay with Resident Press all season as we follow Coach Clark’s Eagles and their march to what hopes to be a state playoff birth in November.
