Football coaches have gotten wiser over the years. Instead of beating up their players in preseason practices, coaches have taken out a lot of the bumps and bruises to keep their players fresh and healthy for the real season.
For defensive players, who hope to be physical tacklers once the season starts, it’s not so easy to prepare if they can’t tackle in practice.
When asked how El Dorado’s defense has looked in practice, Coach Chris Hill gave an honest evaluation.
“It’s kind of hard to tell,” he said. “You’re to the point where you see the same offense every day. It’s hard to gauge. We’ll know a whole lot more after we scrimmage North Little Rock. Our kids are doing a great job of showing up. They’re giving us their best effort, I think. It’s just time for us to play somebody else.
“It’s kind of hard to evaluate when you just see yourself against you all the time. The North Little Rock scrimmage will be very important to us.”
The Wildcats will host North Little Rock in a preseason benefit game on Friday, beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is $5.
El Dorado will expect several athletes to play on both sides of the ball this season. Staying healthy will be crucial for the team’s success.
At the same time, the game is tackle football. Hill said it’s difficult to prioritize the importance of being physical in practice and keeping players healthy for the season.
“You’ve got to weigh the risk-reward. What is the risk to the reward of this drill or this scrimmage if it’s a hundred percent live? That’s the hard part, trying to be physical and running to the ball and tackling in the open field, pursue tackle and everything and trying to stay healthy, too,” he said. “You’ve got tackle drills and, again, most people don’t get hurt when you tackle. It’s when they're turning, twisting and sliding down legs, that’s when you get the ankles and knees. If he’s just getting hit, he’s probably going to be O.K.
“But staying healthy is a big concern because we don’t have a lot of depth at certain positions and we have to keep that at the forefront of our minds.”