Coaches, players excited as preseason football begins
8/5/2010 2:00:00 PM | Football
By Cody Stark, Huntsville Item
HUNTSVILLE - Sam Houston State head football coach Willie Fritz has been waiting for this moment for a long time.
After putting together a staff and getting his first taste of what the Bearkats had to offer during the spring, the new coach finally gets the chance to begin his inaugural preseason camp when 89 players reported for team meetings Thursday morning.
"We really are excited," Fritz said. "We have a lot of new guys who we think have the opportunity to play for us, and the kids have worked extremely hard this summer.
"As a staff, we have worked hard this summer, moving families down here and trying to get settled in. Finally, we get a chance to go out there and do what we really like doing - coaching football. It's an exciting time for us, and we are pumped up."
The student-athletes checked in Thursday to pick up equipment and begin the necessary steps to make sure everything is in order to hit the field for the first practice Friday at 7:15 p.m.
The players, newcomers and veterans, went through orientation, filled out paperwork and went over the various NCAA rules with athletic department compliance officers
"There are all sorts of NCAA forms that you have to fill out, and there are all sorts of Sam Houston forms you have to fill out," Fritz said. "The NCAA requires that we have six hours of information that we give our kids. It's a formality you have to go through ever year from physicals to drug testing policies. There are a lot of things we have to get the kids through before they can be certified to actually go out and practice."
The Bearkats don't have to wait long to hit the field. Bright and early Friday morning at 8, the players will make their way to Bowers Stadium to take part in the "Bearkat Run," a conditioning test that will show who worked the hardest over the summer and reported to camp in the best shape.
"We have a conditioning test we are going to do Friday morning, and it is a run that will really help me gauge what you did this summer," Fritz said. "It covers 850 yards and we change directions 11 times, so there is some stopping and going. We have times that they need to get for their position groups.
"I've been doing this test for 18 years, so I think it is a very good indicator of what kind of football shape we are in."
The Bearkats will practice in helmets and shorts the first two days, then add shoulder pads on Sunday. The full pads finally come out on Aug. 12 when the team has its first scrimmage of preseason camp at 7 p.m.
Preseason practice is sure to be filled with position battles and a lot of competition, but Fritz's main goal between now and when camp breaks on Aug. 25 before the start of classes, is for this group of 90 players to come together as one unit.
"I want the veteran guys to do a great job of embracing the new guys," the coach added. "When we break camp here in a few weeks, I want to be a football team, not a bunch of individuals. We have had between 50 to 60 guys here this summer, and they have worked extremely hard."
Just over half of the players who reported Thursday morning participated in spring work last April. Only 30 were lettermen on the 2009 football squad.
"Having a team with so many newcomers has really made our role as seniors important," defensive back Jarvis Pippins said. Pippins is one of only five seniors on the 2010 squad. "Coach Fritz has emphasized how the upper classmen have to be leaders this year. We want to take these young guys under our wings and make sure they learn their way around the football field, the campus and Huntsville."
Fritz was impressed with the team's work ethic in spring ball and knows that, if this young squad continues to work hard, lots can be accomplished.
"I don't want to set any limits on us, my goal is to win every game and it is no different this year. We just want to become a football team and be the best we can possibly be."
Preseason camp will run from August 6 to the opening day of classes August 25. The Bearkats expect to hold four full-contact scrimmages during preseason work.
Sam Houston will open the 2010 slate Saturday, Sept. 4 against the Baylor Bears at Waco. The first home game will be Saturday, Sept. 25 when Gardner-Webb visits Bowers Stadium for Bearkat "Family Weekend."
The game Sept. 25 will feature a guest appearance by the Houston Texans Cheerleaders, a fireworks display and special halftime activities.
Other home games will be Oct. 16 (Homecoming) vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Nov. 6 vs. McNeese State and Nov. 20 vs. Texas State. The final three home games will kickoff at 2 p.m.
Season tickets for Bearkat football at Bowers Stadium are available through the new exciting "2-2-2" offer, order your tickets now by going to the Bearkat tickets page on www.gobearkats.com or call (936) 294-1729.
The "2-2-2" offer also includes two corner tickets to the "Battle of the Piney Woods" game with Stephen F. Austin at Reliant Stadium in Houston on October 23.
Fans also may visit the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House located in the south end zone of Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
