Sense of urgency as Bob Jones starts practice
MADISON- With only about two and a half weeks until their first football game, Bob Jones didn’t waste any time on Monday August 7, the first official day of football practice.
Normally the team would have had a week of practices by this date but the calendar was unkind as August 1 fell on a Tuesday and football practice had to wait until the first Monday in August.
Bob Jones coach Kevin Rose usually doesn’t try to practice on picture day but Monday he put his players through a crisp one-hour practice before retreating inside and dutifully getting ready to face the camera.
Rose, like last year, scheduled a regular season game the first weekend the AHSAA allows games, it is called Week 0 and Bob Jones faces a long road trip of 280 miles and a 4-hour bus ride to play Central Phenix City on Aug. 25.
“It gives you a sense of urgency in getting game ready quicker than normal,” Rose said. “It puts pressure on us. We did the same thing last year and it helped us all summer in our preparation and going into fall camp our players realize we can’t waste any time that every minute is valuable because we have to get ready for an outstanding team like Phenix City.
The first day of practice is a big day in high school football and we had a good practice, we had good energy, we got some work done, and get pictures done and be ready to go again tomorrow. It’s a young team but a good team,” Rose said.
With all the passing camps in the summer the passing game is ahead of the running game at this point and Bob Jones figures to be a running football team. Rose has a lot of players still fighting for playing time especially on defense.
“There’s competition going on every day, that is why we film practices,” Rose said. “We evaluate them who is going to play how many snaps based on how they practice.”
Rose returns coaches on both sides of the ball. Longtime defensive coordinator Bryan Styles and Matt Patterson enters his fourth season as offensive coordinator to provide continuity.
Among players competing for playing time on defense is Jacoby Green, Jaquirrus Pelmer, Terrell Jennings, Kyle Parker, Khalil Griffin, Jacob Rackavskas, and Ashton Smith.
Versatile John-Michael Riley will take over the punting. The kicker has yet to be determined.
Rose will look for impact players on special teams. Bob Jones scored five special teams touchdowns last season including two in one game against Grissom.
Two seniors committed this week; linebacker Kade Koler to South Alabama and receiver Demontrez Brown to Troy.
“Both players are a good fit at the universities they selected,” Rose said. “They have worked hard and contributed and we need them to be good leaders this year.”
