Dougherty County football teams hit the field

Albany —Albany High tight end Joseph Stone feels a new season gives his team the opportunity to turn over a new leaf. Saturday marked the day that all Dougherty County teams got that same opportunity as the first day of full contact practices were allowed, marking the official start of a new football season.

Before Saturday, the Indians had been hosting voluntary workouts which brought in a record-setting turnout, much to the pleasure of head coach Felton Williams.

“In my six years as head coach, this has been our largest turnout,” he said. “I’ve been averaging 45 kids a day…it’s very motivating to see this number turn out early in voluntary workouts. You know you’ll pick up anywhere from 15-20 kids when school starts, but you don’t know what you’re getting when school starts. To get this many kids this early that you’ve been working with day in and day out in the weight room and on the field, it’s very positive.”

Williams said one of the biggest factors in such a large turnout is the mindset of those who chose to participate.

“We’ve been emphasizing from the beginning of last season to our last season game, workouts,” he said. “Workouts and what you do when no one else is working and the kids really bought into off season workouts…”

One of those players is Stone. As a senior he felt it was imperative to be there, not just to improve his own game, but to set an example as well.

“It’s important for me to be here because it lets the younger kids know if you’re dedicated, stay for four years, you can get something out of it,” he said.

The voluntary workouts, which include weight lifting and non-contact drills, have been going on since early May. Williams said while the physical conditioning is there, he gets to see where everyone is mentally when they suit up for practice Monday.

“When you put on the pads, you find out who really wants it,” he said. “The pads determine who’s mentally ready. Physically, I feel like everybody out here is physically ready to play, but once you put the pads on it’s mental know because some kids may not be ready for that physical contact.”

Stone is confident that the hard work put in during their off time will lead to success on the field this season.

“It’s been strenuous, but it’s gonna pay off in the long run,” he said.