The Oakman Wildcats wrapped-up offseason conditioning and weightlifting last week and are enjoying a week off before a round of intense practices takes them into the season opener against Gordo.
Head coach Ryan Hall said the final week of offseason conditioning allowed he and his coaching staff to see where his team stood in terms of physical readiness heading into fall camp.
“This week we use to rest and rejuvenate both physically and mentally, and our guys have earned it. It’s been a good summer and offseason. Looking back, losing to Fyffe to end our year last season was disappointing on that night — we were all hurt. But when we got back on the bus for the trip back, I felt we all knew that commitment level in terms of our work capacity, focus and discipline, along with with all the intangibles that they did better than us that night,” Hall said. “It’s what made Fyffe so good and it was a good lesson for us.”
Other notes from Wednesday’s preseason brief:
— Hall has been impressed with the work and progress of many players during recent 7-on-7 camps, including Derek Hubbard, Trace Cagle and Luke Martin. “Derek had a very good season last year and has been the highlight of the summer with his consistency and commitment to getting things done right. With both Denzel Chatman and Kaedyn Marchbanks still healing injuries, we needed a guy to step-up and Derek did just that. Trace is going to be a ninth grader who we’re really excited about at linebacker. He’s a true, physically fit guy who’s going to play downhill on defense. Luke Martin is a tenth grader that has had a good summer — he’s still looking for consistency, but that comes with experience. We’ve got a lot of guys coming back, but things could change, as we’re not going to play the best players but the players that make our team the best.”
— Two special upcoming events for Oakman will be the Go Wildcat Kickoff Dinner on Aug. 12, where the program would like to bring in many members of the community, along with former players, alumni and supporters in the indoor facility for a night of fellowship. On Aug. 13 will be the Meet the Cats event — where fans and supporters are invited to meet all the members of the Wildcats program, from the Toy Bowl team to the varsity squad, cheerleaders, band. The varsity squad will also play a small scrimmage during the Meet the Cats event. “Our supporters are invited to join us for the Kickoff Dinner, we just ask that they RSVP myself so we have an idea of how many people to expect. Our Meet the Cats event is really an occasion for our community and our players to share in the excitement of the great things that are happening in our program. It’s a great way to get the community together and build some momentum going into the season.”
