CHARLESTON- Last week, as I drove up to the Charleston football stadium, the sky was pitch black. It was approximately 5:45 a.m. when I arrived at the stadium to photograph one of the Tigers’ preseason football practices.
Due to teacher meetings in the district that week, Coach Ricky May and his staff had the players at the stadium before sunrise to dress and prepare for practice. The Tigers practiced from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. so that coaches could attend meetings starting at 8:30 a.m.
Soon after my arrival, I spotted one lone assistant coach walking the field and turning on the stadium lights for the start of practice. Football requires commitment from both the players and the coaches, and that day in Charleston was a big example of what it takes to have a successful program.
But early or late practices in August are not uncommon; schools across the state practice at different times to avoid the extreme heat that usually accompanies August practices.
In earlier stories, we have reported that Charleston will be a young team this year after the heavy graduation of players from their 2022 state championship team. But Coach May and his staff have been working the Tigers hard all spring and summer, and since my last trip to photograph a practice, the improvement in execution and fundamentals that Coach May has stressed is becoming evident. The team has made big strides since spring practice.
Last week’s practice was very similar to others at this time of the year; individual, group, and team portions of the practice took place. The Tigers open the season on September 1, and that week and perhaps the week before, Charleston will begin to install their game plan for their first opponent. The Elkins Elks will make the trip from Northwest Arkansas to play the Tigers in Charleston’s first home game of season. The Elkins game will be a tough opener for Charleston but is characteristic of the Tigers’ philosophy of playing good non-conference opponents.
In the non-conference portion of the Charleston schedule, consecutive road games after the September 1 home opener will be played at Ozark and Nashville. RNN Sports will be in Nashville on September 15 to cover the Tigers game with the Scrappers as our feature game for that week.
So, Tigers fans, football season is just around the corner! If you have not yet subscribed to the only weekly newspaper serving Franklin and Logan counties, you can do so by going to residentnewsnetwork.com/subscribe and follow the link to the RNN newspaper. Now, before the start of football and volleyball seasons is a great time to subscribe.
Thank you for reading RNN Sports, and we look forward to seeing you at the stadium!
