The era of two-a-days are long gone for Warren Central and Vicksburg, finished by teachers’ meetings and changing philosophies on coaching. Monday still, however, marked the official start of their four-month football odyssey and put a spring in the step of players and coaches who have had Aug. 1 circled on their calendars for weeks.

Monday was the first official day of practice for football teams in the Mississippi High School Activities Association. The Vikings and Gators both began installing some of the specific plays and schemes they’ll employ this season, while also gaining a little extra zip in their step with the seasons openers close on the horizon.

“That first day of practice, when you get those pads on for real, it’s just a rush. It’s right there. It’s getting real. You’re amped up and ready to go. The season’s still a few weeks away, but it’s game time,” Warren Central defensive lineman Caleb Boyett said.

Warren Central phased out its two-a-day practices nearly a decade ago. The start of practice coincides with staff meetings that keep teachers and coaches occupied throughout the morning. The Vikings on Monday went with their usual routine of one afternoon workout.

The team has practiced nearly every morning during the summer, but Monday marked a shift in the schedule from general concepts and fundamentals to more physical workouts and team-specific lessons.

Warren Central will play Ridgeland in a jamboree game on Aug. 12, and coach Josh Morgan said the next 10 or 11 days are critical in the preparation for the season opener Aug. 19 against Oak Grove.

“We’re going to try to get a lot more team reps. We’ve been working a lot on individual reps, and fundamentals and technique. It’s kind of that sense of urgency, because we play the following week,” Morgan said.

Morgan added that the team will keep working through next week, and won’t put any extra emphasis on the jamboree.

“As far as traveling, we do. As far as preparation, we don’t,” Morgan said. “We have got to use that week on us, or else we’ve just got a week of helmets and shoulder pads on us. We’ll treat the Ridgeland week like a glorified practice and really focus on us the first two weeks.”

Over at Vicksburg, the Gators aren’t quite burning the midnight oil this week but won’t be home for dinner, either.

Head coach Marcus Rogers said he planned to cram two practices worth of work into one extra-long session every evening this week. The Gators will have a three-hour practice beginning at 5:30 p.m. each day through Thursday, followed by a 45-minute film and weightlifting session afterward. Friday’s practice will be an intrasquad scrimmage.

Rogers said the practice plan evolved from a mix of routine, schedule conflicts, and adapting to the needs of players and parents.

“We have some developmental meetings going on all day, and my son is at the junior high and I have to get him to practice, too,” Rogers said. “We’ve been going at 5:30 for the whole month of July, so we’re keeping with that. It helps with the parents being able to get them there. Either we get them early or we get them late.”

Like his crosstown counterpart, Rogers said his plan for the first two weeks of practice is to work more on team drills than has been allowed during the summer.

Vicksburg will play at Port Gibson in a jamboree on Aug. 12, but Rogers wasn’t concerned with the Blue Waves. He’ll treat next week like a normal game week, he said, but the idea is to hammer out the kinks for the season opener on Aug. 19 against defending Class 5A champion Wayne County in the Red Carpet Bowl.

“We’re not doing anything for Port Gibson. Everything is geared toward Wayne County,” Rogers said. “I want them to know the game plan backward and forward. I want them to know it next to how well they know their parents.”

JAMBOREES

Aug. 12

4:30 p.m. – WC vs. Ridgeland, at Germantown

7:30 p.m. – Vicksburg vs. Yazoo City (JV) and Port Gibson (varsity), at Port Gibson

SEASON OPENERS

Aug. 19 (Red Carpet Bowl, at Vicksburg)

6 p.m. – Warren Central vs. Oak Grove

7:30 p.m. – Vicksburg vs. Wayne County

• Tickets for the Red Carpet Bowl are $10 in advance or $12 at the gate. Advance tickets are available at Warren Central and Vicksburg High Schools and Junior Highs, at the Vicksburg Warren School District athletic office, River Outfitters and Michel’s Music.