Where will you be at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 31? If you want to play JV or varsity football in a Vance County High School Vipers uniform, the correct answer is: at football practice.
Head Coach Aaron Elliott said high schools can officially start practice on July 31 and the players are looking forward to the late-night tradition that Elliott began his first year as coach.
“This is the third year,” Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk with Bill Harris and George Hoyle. The players “absolutely love it and look forward to it – we’re gonna keep it going.”
The workouts and practices they’ve had over the summer have been well attended, , but they’re not mandatory, so Elliott said the Tuesday night/Wednesday morning session will get things started in earnest. He figures he’s talked with 85 or so young people who want to play this season.
He’s especially pleased about the number of younger players – “that’s going tohelp the JV team out,” he said.
There’s one incoming freshman, however, who has probably already got a spot on the varsity squad, Elliott noted. He said he got the chance to catch a Vance County Middle School game and witnessed a particular player score touchdowns three different ways – on a kickoff return playing special teams, intercepting a pass on defense and scampering across the goal line for six on offense.
Making a mental note to keep an eye on this young man, Elliott said he had the chance to speak with him and about being a part of the program. “He’s been with us all summer – hasn’t missed a practice,” Elliott said. Chances are, he’ll be starting on defense when the season opens.
Elliott said he’s talked with other coaches and they’re experiencing an uptick in interest in high sports, which is encouraging.
“As much as we want to put COVID in the past, it’s still affecting high school sports,” he said. The football team graduated 10 players last year; that number is set to rise to 14 this year and if the trend continues, next year’s team will have 29 graduate. For Elliott, those numbers have a direct correlation to decreased numbers during the COVID pandemic.
The Wednesday practice will last about an hour and 45 minutes, Elliott said and then they’ll have a more normal practice time on Thursday at 5 p.m.
There’s a Jamboree on Aug. 9, and another exhibition-style game on Aug. 17 before the season opener away again Warren County High School on Aug. 23.
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