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Night and day, Wolfpack attacks two-a-days
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@acnpapers.com
The whistle blew and a blur of players in blue and white jerseys sprung into action.
The Plano West varsity extra point unit and junior varsity punt team moved 20 yards away from the goal posts and the remainder of the players headed to the sideline to watch on.
This scene was one of many occurrences unique to the annual process that is two-a-day football practices.
“We had a good practice today,” West head coach Mike Hughes said to his team before their dismissal, “except for the fooling around during the kicking.”
That may seem like a trivial issue, but considering West has lost a playoff game on a field goal in the past and the bulk of District 8-5A games this season are expected to be tight, the focus on special teams is understandable.
And the leader of the Wolfpack has always been known as a straight shooter.
“I think the practices have been going great thus far,” said Nathan Broussard, West senior linebacker. “Coach Hughes has said the same thing and he is straight up honest, so you would know if he wasn’t happy with the way we were practicing.”
The details paid to special teams have been the same in all aspects of the game.
“We’ve never had practices like this before,” Broussard said. “Things have been going very well.”
One of West’s assistants discussed championship pride right down to the need for a clean and organized locker room before the team broke on the unison yell of, “family.”
That meant the end of the morning practice, which typically runs from 8-10 a.m., but considering this is two-a-days, it was just the start of a busy day for the Wolves. West has been running its second practices from 6-9 p.m. this week and Thursday included a 1 p.m. film session.
“Two-a-days means the start of the fall,” said Dax Damrich, West senior wide receiver. “That’s means it’s time to get serious.”
Two-a-days also frequently coincide with some serious heat and Thursday was no different as the Metroplex experienced its 13th consecutive day of triple-digit temperatures. To beat that heat, West had coolers and mobile water units flanking both practice fields in use as well as a group of trainers frequently bringing water to the players and coaches on the field.
The heat didn’t seem to be a big concern for senior wide receiver Ryan Doyle.
“I think most of us were ready for this,” he said. “We have gotten bigger and stronger since last season and we’re ready to go.”
Part of the reason for the preparedness of Doyle and fellow wideout Damrich has to do with them spending much of the summer going through 7-on-7 with junior Carson Smith, who will be the Wolves starting quarterback. Smith was a wide receiver last season, but he came up through the West system as a quarterback and was the starter for the freshman team.
“I think we got a lot of the timing down during 7-on-7,” Doyle said, “and things have gotten even better this week.”
The plays being run during two-a-days seem to indicate West will revert somewhat to the short and immediate passing game the Wolves used in 2008. Or the plays could simply represent the refinement of base offensive packages early in the practice process. Look for junior wide receiver Carlos Wiggins and the senior running back tandem of Jarrett “J-Ho” Horan and Kameron Haddock to make an impact in any offensive package.
Those weapons have helped the offense catch up.
“The defense was definitely ahead in spring practice,” Broussard said. “But right now it’s pretty even.”
That dynamic could change today when the players practice in pads for the first time and the hitting no doubt picks up.
“The defense is definitely looking forward to that,” Broussard said with a sly smile.
But before looking forward, the players had a chance to look back at what they had seen in the first four days of fall practice.
“Everyone has been getting up to speed,” Damrich said. “And you can already see the team coming together.”
West hosts Highland Park next Friday at 7:30 p.m. in a scrimmage set for Clark Stadium, where the Wolves play six of their 10 regular season games. That season officially begins Thursday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. when West hits the road to face Arlington Martin at Cravens Field.
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