At left, Warren Central’s Vaughn Mims, left, hands the ball off to Eugene Sorrells during a hand-off drill as the public schools had their first day of football practice. In the center photo, Vicksburg High offensive linemen Jeremy Ward, left, and Lance Henry are silhouetted as they participate in a blocking techniques drill. At right, Russ Nelson is trailed by Cowan Conway during a sprint drill at St. Aloysius. The three Warren County schools will open the season on Aug. 29. St. Al will host Greenville, St. Joe. Vicksburg will kick off against Southaven at 6 p.m. at Viking Stadium in the Red Carpet Bowl, which will be followed by Warren Central and Gulfport. (Chad Applebaum The Vicksburg Post)

[8/5/03]Crickets were chirping, the sun was shining and coaches were yelling as St. Aloysius began its fall two-a-day practices on Monday.

The Flashes return only two starters on offense from a 2002 squad that finished 9-3 before losing in the first round of the playoffs to Puckett.

After a frustrating first day, coach Jim Taylor said the team needs a lot of work.

“It’s just going to take a lot of repetition for us to start to look halfway decent,” he said. “We had a very limited spring with all the other spring sports and being a (Class) 1A school, so we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The Flashes worked mostly on offense and started with the basics, including handoffs, catching drills and blocking assignments. By the end of practice, they were running full 11-man offensive sets.

With a lack of experience at running back and a lack of depth on the offensive line, Taylor may look to call more passing plays during the season, and he worked the team on its timing in the passing game.

“We’re going to continue to try to throw the football,” he said. “That’s our intention right now. We’re trying to get a pretty good mix of throwing and running the football, but it takes a lot more practice time to be a good passing team than it does to be a good running team.”

Senior Drew Mazzanti looks to be the starter at quarterback, senior Russ Nelson and junior Rob Jones will figure into the mix at running back and seniors Austin Golding and Anthony Rector should see most of the time at receiver.

The Flashes open the season on Aug. 29 at home against Greenville-St. Joe.

Warren Central begins

two-a-day practices

Warren Central began its first two-a-days on Monday as well.

After opening stretches and exercises, the Vikings broke into groups and began their training on various drills from high-stepping to jumping, from footwork to route-running.

Many of the key positions are up for grabs on both sides of the ball this season with only three returning starters each on offense and defense.

The quarterback position is wide open with a trio of candidates vying to replace Jeremy Ferguson as the signal-caller. Senior Amos Chase and juniors Chase Douglas and Christian Hales will compete for quarterback.

The Vikings open play in the Red Carpet Bowl against Gulfport at Viking Stadium on Aug. 29.

Gators’ position battles

will be heated this year

It’s too early to tell which position battles will be the most heated, but it’s not too early to experiment for Vicksburg High coach Alonzo Stevens.

VHS started two-a-day practices Monday, with 65 players working out in shorts, T-shirts, and helmets. The first week of practice generally focuses on fundamentals and condidtioning. The Gators will continue two-a-days through Wednesday, and will practice in full gear for the first time on Monday.

“Everything went real well,” Stevens said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but everything was there. There was senior leadership, and the lead kids were in shape. You’re always going to have a few (out of shape), but overall most of them have been working and that’s a good sign.”

Wide receivers Maurice Taylor, Michael Rainey, and Ben Shelton will also practice on defense during the preseason, while star linebacker Rory Johnson will see time at running back.

The moves should help VHS put extra speed in its secondary, and give Johnson more opportunities to highlight his unique blend of strength and speed.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how it works out,” said Stevens, whose team opens the season on Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. against Southaven at Warren Central.

Sports writer Ernest Bowker contributed to this report.