Usually, it’s the players who can’t wait to get into the contact portion of preseason football practice.
At Ware County, the players had nothing on the eagerness of the coaching staff for this week to arrive.
“We’re so ready to get into pads,” Gators head coach Jason Strickland said Thursday, July 24. “I know the players are anxious, but so are the coaches.”
Summer activities, like 7-on-7 competitions, similar skeleton drills and conditioning closed Friday following the mandatory five-day acclimation period. Teams around the state began full-contact workouts Monday.
Strickland said the “Tshirt Olympics” only reveal so much and can sometimes create some habits that only contact can correct.
“A linebacker hasn’t had a lot of run reads in the summer,” the coach said. “You get in pads and he’s used to dropping under a curl route and now he’s got to come up and take a guard on for a run.
“There are a lot of things we’re ready to see. There are certain things you can’t judge until (having contact). You can’t get better until you get into pads.”
Strickland said his team, which returns a host of starters and key backups from last year, had a productive winter season and spring that carried into the summer.
“We’ve had great participation since January, and it led to a really good summer,” said the coach, who’s beginning his seventh season at Ware County.
The Gators will begin the final weeks of preparation in good health, Strickland said. Last year as well as a couple others in his tenure, a few players were sidelined with injuries when the pads went on.
The coach said dynamic receiver-kick return Ja’Londi O’Hara had a hamstring issue earlier in the summer, but he’s full go now.
“Other than that, knock on wood, we’ve been really healthy,” Strickland said.
To help stay that way, he said the Gators will monitor the level of contact leading to the season-0pener Friday, August 15 against Appling County in Memorial Stadium. Spring practice turned out to be pretty physical.
“This might be the most physical group we’ve had since ’22,” Strickland said of the team that delivered Ware County a Class AAAAA state championship. “When we get into pads, we may have to pull back a little, but I’d rather do that than have to get them motivated.
“We have to make sure we’re healthy when we get into the games.”
Ware County travels Friday, August 8 to scrimmage Brunswick at Glynn County Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
The Gators kick off the 2025 season for keeps Friday, August 15 when Appling County visits Memorial Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. start. Coffee comes calling August 22 before Ware County hits the road the last Friday of August and the first Friday in September.
