By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
It’s hot and the calendar has just turned to August. But it’s not just a new month; it’s also the start of a new football season.
For the second year in a row, St. Joseph Academy got a jump on the competition with a midnight start on Monday.
Lopez and Hanna started after 7:30 in the morning, and Rivera, Pace and Port Isabel started soon after as well. Brownsville Veterans Memorial began its work in the afternoon as seven Metro-area football teams started practice Monday to begin the 2016 season.
Only Porter and Los Fresnos didn’t start practices because neither can until next Monday due to University Interscholastic League rules after holding spring football practices.
The Bloodhounds, known for their up-tempo offense, picked up where they left off this spring.
“The moment the clock hit 12, we’re running plays,” St. Joseph coach Tino Villarreal said. “By 12:10 last night, we had already run 49 plays.”
St. Joseph finished with a total of 257 plays run during the two-hour offensive workout.
For the Bloodhounds, the unconventional start was by design. It was as much for their fans as it was for the players.
With cooler temperatures, the stands were filled with St. Joseph fans excited and ready for the season to begin.
“That sets the tone for us, that’s our identity, that’s who we are,” Villarreal said. “We want to be first at everything, we want to be fast … while people are sleeping, we’re working.”
For Hanna, a new face was leading the show.
Mark Guess, the Brownsville Independent School District athletic director during the last four years, is now the coach of the Golden Eagles.
He was as happy as anyone to be back on the practice field with a whistle around his neck.
“There’s no where else in the world I’d rather be than right here, right now,” Guess said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to get back on the sideline and hopefully have an impact on these kids, teach them to do the right things all the time and win some football games along the way.
“I’m just excited to be back, it’s a feeling like no other.”
Guess has Hanna practicing in the morning to try to avoid the heat of the day. The Eagles started with conditioning and continued with practice for the remainder of the time.
Under its new coach, Hanna is working on a new defensive scheme. Guess was enthusiastic that the team was progressing already.
“It’s a lot of fun again,” he said. “The kids seem pretty sharp and are picking it up. They have good attitudes and are working hard. That’s all I can ask of them.”
The Lobos were excited to be back on the practice field, this time on their newly installed turf field.
“It feels great, last year we didn’t make the playoffs and we only got a couple wins,” Jose Echevarria said. “It feels great to come back and try to get better.”
Echevarria, the junior multi-position player for the Lobos, was already getting work in different phases of his game.
There’s just something about the opening practice of a new season.
“This first practice is like Christmas in Southmost,” Lopez coach Jason Starkey said. “Everybody is excited. I’m happy with the energy this morning, from both the coaches and the team.
“We’re working and running and looking forward to the season.”
Starkey spent some quality time with his family the night before, but barely slept with so much anticipation for the season.
“It’s the love of the game that drives me,” he said. “I get up before the alarm clock because I can’t wait to get here. I’m one of the fortunate ones in this world that gets to do what they love.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.