Longest Day: Kreager's diary of 9 prep football practices
High school football practice began shortly after midnight Monday morning with the first hits of the season being held at La Vergne High.
It christened another season for nine county teams.
Rutherford County prep football players caught at least one break, though, with unseasonably cool temperatures making the first day of practice easier to tolerate.
DNJ prep editor Tom Kreager traveled the county for his fifth annual tour of all 10 Rutherford County high schools competing in the TSSAA. Here is his diary.
12:02 a.m.: A whistle sounds as the car door opens. La Vergne players begin to warm up on the game film behind me.
This marks coach Stanton Stevens' first midnight practice in his tenure at La Vergne. Few are in the stadium to watch on this cool evening.
12:12 a.m.: It's finally time to start hitting. Players jog off the game field to the practice field. Dummies have been placed strategically to set up for the Oklahoma drill. A running back is charged with the task of attempting to get past defenders as a pair of teammates block for him.
12:15 a.m.: Sophomore Maleik Gray makes quick work of his Oklahoma drill, sprinting through a lane set up by his teammates. Gray already has multiple college football offers including Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
"Who is the top dog here?" Stevens asks as he looks at his linemen waiting to participate.
With Gray and teammate Roshea Grays in the backfield, the Wolverines have a formidable running combination for first-year quarterback Drew Howard.
12:28 a.m.: Assistant coach Calvin Hall begins throwing passes to players as the Wolverines work on individual drills. Hall has returned to La Vergne after a two-year stint as the head coach at Ezell-Harding. Former defensive coordinator Brent Bledsoe is also back with the Wolverines as a defensive assistant.
Former La Vergne standout Chris Grimes is the team's defensive coordinator this season.
1:53 a.m.: The Wolverines have made their way back to the game field for a 7-on-7 segment. Howard is taking the majority of snaps. He replaces C.J. Fore, who threw for nearly 2,000 yards as a senior.
2:01 a.m.: I've seen enough. It's time to get some sleep. It's going to be a long day.
6:43 a.m.: DNJ staff photographer John Gillis is waiting for me as I drive up to pick him up for the morning practices. The task for the morning isn't an easy one: Make it to six practices before the morning workouts end.
7:01 a.m.: Click, clack, click, clack. The sounds of cleats on cement can be heard as a few late arrivals run to Stewarts Creek's new practice field, located behind the football stadium's visitors bleachers.
7:04 a.m.: The Red Hawks begin their first practice in pads for the 2014 season with a stretching period.
"We're doing pilatsies," a player says.
"No, that's Pilates," said assistant Anthony Law.
7:10 a.m.: The Creek quarterbacks take a knee and begin throwing the ball back and forth to each other as coach David Martin looks over them.
"You've got to throw in rhythm," he says to his team. "Follow through."
7:12 a.m.: Assistant coach Jason Scharsch shouts instructions to his linebackers as they go through different drills.
"One more time," Scharsch shouts.
They go over the drill again and again.
7:35 a.m.: Smyrna coach Matt Williams is doubling up again this season as the Bulldogs' offensive line coach.
"Defense, give us a look," he shouts.
Graduation has hurt the Bulldogs' front line with just two starters returning.
7:45 a.m.: Smyrna offensive coordinator Steve Williams works with the Bulldogs' young players in a pass drill. The Bulldogs are moving to an up-tempo spread offense.
Steve Williams works with a pair of freshman quarterbacks as they throw pass after pass.
"It doesn't have to be a 92 mph fastball," Steve Williams said. "It doesn't have to be Sonny Gray."
Gray, who is now a MLB pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, was the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs' 2006 and 2007 Class 5A state championship teams.
7:49 a.m.: The Bulldogs begin working an inside drill. But defensive coordinator Billy Coleman has specific instructions.
"We're not pulling them down," Coleman tells his offense. "We are going through them."
8:25 a.m.: MTCS first-year football coach Fred Shambaugh tosses the ball to quarterback Justin Winn as the senior throws the ball to different wide receivers. They are working on the baseball field's outfield, which has been lined for football practice.
Winn throws a deep pass to teammate Trey Hickey, which he pulls in near the outfield fence, on the last play of the drill before they begin what has been called the "trash can drill."
8:32 a.m.: "Sudden change," Shambaugh yells out.
The punt team is instructed to run out and line up for a punt attempt. However, a bad snap keeps the punter from getting it off.
"You only get one chance," Shambaugh says.
It's time to go back to offensive work.
8:36 a.m.: A fumbled ball on an option pitch leads to a little comic relief.
"Don't get nervous just because Kreager is here," said MTCS assistant Brooks Smith, who is in his first year with the school after being at Blackman the last couple of years.
9 a.m.: Oakland quarterbacks work with their receivers at the far end of the practice field.
"Give me 'RAC,'" an assistant yells at receiver George Gbesee, who is one of 10 Oakland players with Division I college offers.
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9:23 a.m.: The Patriots are working on inside drill. Tennessee commitments Jack Jones and Kyle Oliver line up side-by-side briefly. Jones is an offensive tackle for the Patriots. Oliver is a tight end.
10:12 a.m.: Eagleville assistants Tom Fiveash and Kent Pippenger have the Eagles on the corner of the practice field, going over offensive line drills. The offensive line works on going through the chutes, keeping their body low to the ground.
10:17 a.m.: Eagleville coach Steve Carson and assistant Alex Roberts act as extra quarterbacks, throwing passes to the receivers. Most passes are relatively on target. But a few get away from the two coaches.
"I know that's not a perfect ball, but you have to catch that," Carson said.
10:23 a.m.: "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing it right," said Fiveash, a former MTSU assistant, to his line.
11:08 a.m.: Riverdale is working on inside drill — all out of shotgun. The Warriors didn't take a snap under center in the spring.
11:25 a.m.: Riverdale coaches speed up the tempo between snaps.
"Let's go," Riverdale offensive line coach Jason Dobbs said to his linemen. "We ought to have a hand on the ground."
11:53 a.m.: It's time for a hitting drill. Riverdale players form a circle as different coaches call out two players to face off against each other on individual blocking drills.
5:35 p.m.: Siegel's quarterbacks begin working on quick two- and three-step drops before firing passes. Each quarterback, led by junior Jordan Middleton, takes their turn firing passes. Former Siegel players Dakota Crane and Denzel Harding are on the sideline watching each pass, talking about this year's team.
Behind them, former kicker Harrison Reed is working out. He'll leave for UT-Chattanooga, where he is a preferred walk-on, on Tuesday.
5:45 p.m.: "Hold the clock," Siegel coach Greg Wyant says to his managers. The Stars passing game has begun to have its share of miscues with dropped balls and off-target passing.
"Get on the hop," Wyant says to his team, blowing his whistle and having the team do up-downs.
6:57 p.m.: Blackman wide receiver Quen Hardy jumps up with defenders around him and pulls in a pass from quarterback Miller Armstrong. Hardy hasn't missed many passes his way all offseason.
7:36 p.m.: Chris Anderson takes a handoff and barrels his way upfield. He runs over a defender, whose helmet goes flying a couple of yards away. A chunk of turf is left on Anderson's facemask.
7:37 p.m.: Hardy pulls in the last pass of the practice from Tennessee commitment Jauan Jennings. Hardy jukes a defender before eventually falling.
It's the end of a long day.
Contact Tom Kreager at 615-278-5168 or tkreager@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kreager.