FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Dead period and Henry County jamboree

JACKSON – Liberty had a cookout. Peabody went bowling. Some from Bolivar went to a farm.

Different teams from rural West Tennessee had their own ways of ending the first half of summer that typically focuses on conditioning and lifting.

The halfway point is marked by the two-week dead period mandated by the TSSAA that prohibits any contact between coaches and players and any work on campus in a team environment. The dead period lasts from June 26 through July 9.

Outside West Tennessee, former Dresden head coach Derek Rang – now at Gatlinburg Pittman – tweeted the cover of a “Dead Period Manual” he had for his new team in East Tennessee.

Arlington High School’s football Twitter page loaded a video of the players playing dodgeball in the gym.

“We’re off for two weeks, so it’s good to break up the monotony and do something different,” said Liberty interim head coach Scott Akin. “They worked hard that last day with National Guard workouts and probably lost a few pounds, our cookout probably gave them a chance to get some needed weight back.”

Staying in shape during the dead period: Coaches’ speeches to their players centered around staying in some kind of shape during the dead period.

A lot of positive accomplishments that were made in June can easily be negated if teenage boys stay in the air conditioning for two weeks straight eating potato chips and watching television.

Most coaches are OK with a dead period in the middle of summer, but there’s a significant number who disagree with the notion of two weeks off. But they also understand giving the athletes a chance to get away from the grind of football’s preseason and having some downtime before hitting the month of July hard with 7-on-7 camps, scrimmages and the beginning of full-gear practices later in the month.

Henry County jamboree: The McDonald’s Football Challenge will be played on Aug. 11 at Henry County High School, a week before the season starts for most teams.

The Patriots’ football program and those involved with participating teams determined the schedule of games for the night.

Stewart County and West Carroll will get things started, followed by Murray, Ky., vs. Milan.

The hosting Patriots will play Dresden before the nightcap between McKenzie and Westview.

Reach Brandon Shields at bjshields@jacksonsun.com or at 731-425-9751. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at jacksonsunsports.