Looking ahead

With official drills set to start Monday Tigers look to putting last year behind them

Tim Reeves

Published Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Photo by Dale Liesch

Not one single player or coach will admit as much, but when the final seconds ticked off the Dadeville Tigers’ 30-16 loss to Chilton County in the 2007 season finale, a sigh of relief must have been felt.

The 14-point loss capped off a winless season; a season of injuries, close calls and missed opportunities.

But beginning with the very next day, it is almost as obvious the returning players and coaches were going to ensure a similar season in 2008 would not happen.

“Our job was to put last year out of our minds and focus on this season,” Tiger head coach Richard White said. “Our first goal this season is to restore the winning tradition at Dadeville by working hard every day to make sure we don’t have a season like last year.”

While work has been going on week after week since last year’s finale, the official start to the 2008 is Monday when teams can have their official first practice.

“Let me see, this is my 20th year,” White said as he prepared to go out to watch his team go through passing drills Wednesday evening. “It’s exciting to get started.”

And this season may be the biggest transition for White and the Tigers as they go into the first day of practice working to install a new spread offense – an offense they have been working on all summer through passing drills, workouts and even attending specialized camps.

“The important part is working to put the basics of the offense in,” White said. “It’s not that difficult of a process, but it has to start with the basics and fundamentals.”

White said the pressure for this offense’s success lies with the quarterbacks.

“They’re the ones who have to have this system down. They are the ones who have to make the first read, the second read,” White said. “After that, they have to know to get rid of the ball.”

White said the receivers and quarterbacks have worked through portions of the new offense, but the offensive line has just an important job.

“The offensive line has their work cut out for them too,” White said. “They have to give the quarterback time to make those reads.”

And speaking of reads – or more like reading and writing – the first day of practice comes one day before Dadeville students return to school, making the job of installing a new system a little tricker for White and the coaching staff.

“What this effectively does is eliminate the two-a-day drills or even three-a-day workouts,” White said. “Before this year-round schedule where school starts in early August, you were able to work the morning on the kicking game, or special teams, while the second session on working on portions of the offense.

“We as coaches now have to really focus on getting the work done each afternoon and not let anything slip.”

In the end, there were reasons why last season ended at 0-10, but you won’t hear White, his coaches or his players making excuses.

“Every day we have to get a little better, a little bigger,” White says. “Going 0-10 will humble you, but you have to put it behind you and simply get better.”

Season tickets available

Dadeville season tickets are now on sale for $30. A special package is available for $100 which includes two season tickets and a reserved parking space. See Tina Bryan in the DHS office or Susan McBride to place your order. The DHS cheerleaders are selling spirit items. $12 – Game Day t-shirts (sizes YXS – AXXXL), yard signs, car flags, personalized photo badges; $10 – metal car tags (new design); $30 – deluxe stadium seats. Call the DHS office at 825-7848, see a cheerleader, or stop by Little Lambs and Ivy if interested.