After two weeks off during the Arkansas Activities Association’s (AAA) mandatory “dead weeks”, high school football resumed its preseason workouts and preparation for the season openers in August. Most schools will open the 2021 football season on Friday, August 27.
On the hot Alumni Field turf last Wednesday were five teams who worked virtually non-stop for a little more than two hours. Class 3A powers Booneville and Charleston, who many project to win their respective conferences, were joined by conference opponent Lavaca who has made significant strides this summer with a returning class of sophomores who many have touted as having a big future over the next three seasons. The 3A teams were joined by Class 4A Clarksville and Mena. The Mena Bearcats, coached by Craig Bentley, are projected to have another good year in a very tough 4A conference that includes the perennial powerhouse, Ozark Hillbillies.
The format of the Charleston camp was different from the camp we covered in Paris just before the dead weeks break. The Tigers camp featured their new indoor practice facility that housed linemen doing specific competitions that would benefit each player in their offensive and defensive line responsibilities. The camp format allowed the linemen to practice their drills for the entire two hour period.
Outside, the backs, receivers, and quarterbacks ran pass skeleton drills for the entire two hour period. The camp format provide a lot of repetitions for each group, and provided the additional opportunity for the players to improve their conditioning and skill work with a lot of reps in the July heat.
For most of the schools participating in the camp, it was evident early that the players were returning from an extended break, and it took the form of dropped passes, missed assignments in the defensive secondaries, etc. But, there was no question about the effort that each team invested in the camp, and as the morning progressed, the quality of play, both offensively and defensively, also improved.
Perhaps one of the more positive aspects of the players’ performances to this observer was the conditioning of the players. No player from any school appeared to be struggling with the heat in the non-stop reps that the coaching staffs were putting the players through. Also, it appeared that no team suffered any injuries, so, the coaches should be happy with the progress their teams are making.
Charleston appears to be deep and talented. Coach May and the Tigers football staff are coaching the kids hard on effort and playing to the whistle. The Tigers will be ready in August and will be, in my projection, the favorite to win the 3A-1 conference.
The Booneville Bearcats will again be favored to win the 3A-4, and the camp format of passing is not necessarily what fans can expect to see this season from Booneville. They can definitely throw the ball well when they want to, but the camp format did not play to their strong suit of running the option with great efficiency and power. That should be evident in the preseason game in August.
Additional photos from the camp may be found on Facebook at Charleston Tigers Sports. Photos are free for viewing and downloading. All fans from the participating schools are welcomed to copy the photos at no charge.
It is…the most wonderful time of the year….as football season is just a little more than one month away. Stay with Resident Press this season for the most complete coverage of River Valley high school football!
