Banneker High School offered the most creative way on Monday to hold the first day of football practice: Players gathered for a team dinner and short meeting, and then headed to the field in helmets and pads shortly after midnight for a two-hour workout.
"It was something to excite the kids and get the community back involved," Banneker first-year coach Marquis Slaton said. "We just wanted to do something new and different. We took the idea from the ‘Midnight Madness' practices of NCAA basketball.
"We pitched it to the kids and they were on board with it. The kids really wanted to do it, we made it happen and it was a success."
The 55 players were dismissed around 2 a.m. on Monday while Slaton and his staff had a short meeting and left an hour later. Banneker players met again on Monday night to eat pizza together while watching film. The Trojans will practice again at 6 a.m. Tuesday.
At Stephenson High School, 120 players reported for an opening Monday night practice with soaring expectations. Stephenson has one of the state's most talented rosters, including 11 seniors that have committed to FBS schools.
"The kids are excited because they know the boat left the dock today for a long journey that we want to end in the Georgia Dome," Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell said, referring to the state championship game.
Gartell has coached for 24 seasons, the past 16 at Stephenson. However, the veteran coach said he always feels like a newcomer before the start of the season.
"Oh yeah, I couldn't sleep on Sunday night," Gartrell said. "Even though I have a lot of years in coaching, I still wake up before the first day of practice like a kid getting ready for Christmas."
Sandy Creek, which has won back-to-back state championships in football, had 91 players participate in four different practices on the opening day. In each session, players focused on one area of the team, such as the passing game or special teams.
"There's a lot of excitement on the first day," Sandy Creek coach Chip Walker said. "We had plenty of parents out there watching, and that's something we've just got accustomed to. It's become important to our fans and the community, and it's good to have the interest."
Walker said the hot weather wasn't much of a factor on Monday. "You like to think that your summer conditioning program helps prepare you for the day when you finally put the pads on to get after it," he said.
Grayson's opening practice was highlighted by the return of defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, a candidate to be the nation's top 2013 college football prospect. Nkemdiche missed all of Grayson's spring practices and was limited over the summer after injuring his hip at an April prospect camp.
"Robert is ready to go; he's 100 percent," Grayson coach Mickey Conn said.
Grayson, which will focus on fundamentals this week, had 120 players come out for the team. "My favorite day is when we start playing games," Conn said.
Stanley Pritchett was one of several metro Atlanta coaches overseeing new teams on Monday. Pritchett is the new coach at North Atlanta after leaving Booker T. Washington.
"It has been a good adjustment to my new team," Pritchett said. "The kids have done everything we asked them to do over the summer, and we're ready to go for the season."
