Hawks close out first week clicking on all cylinders

ROME, Ga. — There are times when it takes some time for a team to get into the swing of things during the preseason.

That’s not been the case for the Shorter football team as the Hawks, who closed out their first week of preseason drills to start an historic 10 th season for the program, wasted little time getting in the right mindset to establish a solid foundation for the challenges they face ahead of them.

“We’ve been really excited about it,” Shorter head coach Phil Jones said about the Hawks’ determination during the first week as they prepare for their first season as a full NCAA Division II and Gulf South Conference member. “The kids have come in here ready to go. They seem to have the real desire to be a better football team and are willing to work to do that.

“With the schedule we have ahead of us, you have to go hard all the time,” the coach said. “They know this and the attitude they have has been very, very good.”

That was certainly the case from the moment the Hawks stepped on the artificial surface at Ben Brady Field, when last Monday they took part in an arduous conditioning test, one that demands the players to run 16 straight 120-yard sprints with each position being required to complete the distance in a set time.

The next three days, the Hawks gradually added the gear they will wear throughout the 10-game schedule this season – for the first time Shorter faces an entirely Division II list of foes – and on Friday the team was in full gear and turned in what was possibly the most physical and spirited practice the program has seen.

“The guys coming back seem to be hungry to be a better football team,” Jones said, “and we have some good athletes among the younger guys. That’s a great combination to have.

“We’re right on schedule on what we have to do,” he said, noting that one of the priorities the team has during the preseason is eliminating the turnovers and penalties that hampered the Hawks during last fall’s disappointing 2-9 campaign. “All of it has to come together.”

What has kept the Hawks on track during the first week, Jones pointed out, has been the unseasonably cool and clear conditions the team has been blessed with. “Thanks be to God we haven’t had any of that,” he said. “That’s helpful for us and our system that we want to have.

After taking a break from practice on Monday, the Hawks will get into the weekly routine they will have throughout the season as classes begin at Shorter. “Things will get even busier for them,” said Jones.

Indeed it will as the Hawks have less than three weeks to go before they open the season on Sept. 4 when Shorter squares off against non-conference foe Paine College of Augusta – the Lions are playing their inaugural season – in a Thursday night showdown at Barron Stadium.

“We’ll keep working hard day by day,” Jones said, “trying to be the very best team we can be.”