Football camp opens in preparation for 2009 campaign

For as much as football tends to stay the same, the opening of training camp brings with it a stark difference from what it represented a little over 10 years ago.

"It's not like the old days any more," Douglas head football coach Mike Rippee said. "The way it is now, we pretty much know what we have to work with from the moment we step on the field.

"It used to be you just used those first couple of days just to get into shape. It really set you back. Times have changed."

Douglas made its first official step toward the 2009 season Thursday morning, running through a pair of non-pad practices at the Big George Sports Complex with a steady dose of meetings, film and weightlifting thrown in for good measure.

"Some older guys might come out and watch what we're doing and say, 'Hey, two-a-days are where you earn conditioning.' I played in the days when they thought water was a weakness and they'd run you through all sorts of conditioning those first couple of days. Thank goodness those times have changed - we'd spend a whole week just trying to get in shape.

"We have a summer program now and we have a football class during the year.

These kids have been conditioning since last January. The way it is now, we get them here for the first practice and they are already in good shape.

"Now we get to focus on football."

Douglas opens its season Aug. 28 at Las Vegas, a rematch of last season's opener when the Tigers' late rally fell just short in a 41-35 loss.

"That is one thing we can't really avoid these next few weeks, is the heat," Rippee said. "Las Vegas, we'll be playing at 7 p.m., so you're probably talking about the high 90s. That'll be tough."

The team is scheduled to scrimmage against Galena and Reed on Aug. 22, culminating the team's first week in pads.

"You hope that after all the wait, all the running through formations and going up against the air, that they'll be excited to start hitting some people," Rippee said. "If they're not tired of that, then there is something wrong.

"The whole idea of this game is to get the pads on and start playing."

Douglas returns a handful of key starters and welcomes in a talented class of newcomers for the 2009 season.

"It's a good group," Rippee said. "We have guys right now that we believe we can go out there and be successful with.

"We've got a good idea of who goes where already, but things can change when you put those pads on. That's what the next two weeks of practice will be about."

An in-depth season preview will appear in Wednesday's R-C.