Piedmont Begins Spring Football Practice Monday

After back-to-back state championships, the returning Piedmont Academy football players and coaches will usher in spring practice Monday as the countdown to the 2012 season officially begins.

The Cougars will practice May 21-June 1 taking off Memorial Day. Since the dates are after the usual time frame for spring practice, Piedmont will not work in full gear. Coach Rhett Farmer waits each year to hold spring practice to be sure all other athletic seasons have concluded for the athletes.

“We also didn’t want to interfere with final exams,” Farmer said earlier this week. “Once we begin practice, there will be a lot of teaching involved although we still plan to be physical.”

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The Cougar coaches will look to install the basic schemes on both sides of the football.

“Our older players need to learn as well,” Farmer said. “Lining up properly is half the battle. We’ll also use spring as an evaluation time. Positions won’t be won in the spring but players can catch the attention of the coaches.”

The offensive and defensive lines will be a focus during the upcoming nine days of practice. Farmer said players will also take part in weight training during spring drills as an ongoing part of offseason conditioning.

“We are very excited about our freshman class that will be coming up,” the coach said. “This will be a time for them to learn about being on the varsity team.”

Piedmont is scheduled to host a preseason scrimmage August 10 against Brookwood. The Warriors from Thomasville will hold their preseason camp at nearby Rock Eagle and make the trek to Cougar Field for the contest.

The regular season opener will pit Piedmont against Westwood on Friday, Aug. 24 in Camilla. Westwood is the two-time defending Class A champion, who is currently tied with Piedmont for the longest winning streak in GISA football at 26 times.

After that game, one team will hold the record for most consecutive victories.