Good weather opens WHS football camp

By Steve Behr
 
Watauga football coach Tim Pruitt may be hoping that this team’s ability to beat the weather over the weekend can be a sign of things to come in 2009.

In a weekend of thunderstorms that caused flash flood warnings, Watauga’s football team was able to get its first practice in during the rare instance of perfectly sunny weather Saturday morning. The Watauga coaching staff welcomed 66 varsity and jayvee players, including 14 seniors, to the team’s first official practice of the season.

As there is at the beginning of any season, there was plenty of optimism abound for the Pioneers.
“We’re just really looking forward it,” senior quarterback Devan Corum said. “It’s a new conference and we want to come out and get a conference championship and keep things rolling like they were a couple of years ago.”

Corum said the Pioneers have been working not only on their conditioning over the summer, but their timing. Watauga’s most productive offensive player last season, Baine Martin, graduated. However, Corum’s optimistic that Watauga, which returns three starting offensive linemen from last year, is on the same page.

“I feel we’ll be in sync,” he said. “We’ve been throwing all summer, so I really don't feel any concerns there.”

“Overall, the seniors all summer long have done a lot of good things with their leadership,” Pruitt said. “And in the rising junior class, we’ve got a lot of men who are really committed and dedicated to what we’re doing. It’s a good group that gets along well and we’re really excited about it.”

Most of the players came into camp in shape, according to Pruitt. Those who didn't make the required 22 off-season conditioning workouts made up for it with an extra workout following practice.

Still, Pruitt, who expects about seven or eight more players to report this week, was happy with the condition of his team this early in the season. The Pioneers will practice just once per day and not partake in any two-a-day workouts.

“Some of them came really ready, and some not quite as ready,” Pruitt said. “I think it’s a lot better than when I played when there wasn’t a whole lot of organization in the summer and people kind of came and went as they pleased. That’s something we’ve changed this year. We made them a little more accountable.”