Football practices in full swing

Four teams had been practicing. Four more joined them.

On Monday, it became official - prep football season arrived.

Cibola, Gila Ridge, San Luis and Antelope began practice Monday, joining Yuma High, Yuma Catholic, Kofa and San Pasqual, which began practicing last week.

Teams which open the season Aug. 28 are allowed to start practicing one week earlier than team's who open Sept. 4.

Antelope coach John Blabe said practice went according to the script most first practices follow.

"I was expecting the kids that played for me last year to know what they were doing and I was expecting the kids that didn't to not have a clue. And that's about how it turned out," Blabe said. "The main guys I have, the returners I have all look real good and the kids coming up from JV didn't have a clue."

He said that core includes Aaron Skousen, Eric Hernandez and Devar Jameson as the team searches to replace its seniors from last year, including quarterback Chance Mixon.

During a water break at the practice, Blabe said a conversation took place between him and a player that perfectly encapsulates Rams football.

"I asked him 'Did you work out this summer?'" Blabe said. "He said 'Yes, coach I did.' I said 'Really?' He said 'Yeah, I worked out on the farm.' That is Antelope High School. We have to start from step one. There's no summer camp, there's no spring camp.  We have a little two or three day camp, but at the end of May they are gone for almost 3-1/2 months."

The Rams' 2A cross-county rival, Yuma Catholic, took the field for practice last week. The Shamrocks  are trying to replace more than a dozen starters off a team that went 10-2 last season.

"We're young, and we're in one of those modes. I wouldn't say rebuilding, but we're struggling," said coach Rhett Stallworth, who said the Shamrocks lost 13 or 14 starters from last year's team. "I think the thing is right now our kids need to understand they need to pick up the intensity and pick up the sense of urgency at this point. I'm not thrilled with going through the motions. If they go through the motions, they're going to get embarrassed Aug. 28 against Kofa."

Yuma High, like Yuma Catholic, got a head start on practices because of their Aug. 28 game at Lake Havasu. But coach Tom Fox was very happy with how his team has looked so far.

"The guys are excited," Fox said. "It's been a long offseason for them, for everybody, since the last time we were on the field against San Luis. They had a good spring and most of them looked like they came out of the summer pretty good. I think they took it upon themselves to get bigger and stronger and faster. I expect good things out of us this year."

Yuma's 5A Gila Valley Region rival Kofa has also been on the practice field since last week, going through tough two-a-days coach Kevin Moore said.

"It's kind of tough to get through two-a-days, and it was pretty hot out there this afternoon," said Moore about his region-champion Kings. "We're about where I expected. We got a lot of guys coming back from last year (15) and we're quite a ways ahead of where we've been in the past."

Last year's Gila Valley Region was a three-horse race between the Criminals, Kings and coach Lucky Arvizo's Cibola Raiders, who had their first practice Monday.

"We were real anxious about getting started, and we had a good day of practice," Arvizo said. "The kids were excited to be out there. There's still a lot of work ahead of us, but we're excited to be getting going."