GAINESVILLE — Heath Webb was all smiles on Monday as his receivers hauled in passes on the Gainesville practice field.
It marked another step in the right direction for the potential return of high school football this fall.
Webb said his players looked better than he expected and the enthusiasm and energy levels were high.
"It was great because it brought a little bit of extra life to our workouts," Webb said about the return of footballs. "Those first two weeks where it was just reconditioning and lifting weights was good because the kids were just excited to be there, but we knew that wasn't going to last very long because those kids are there to play football, not to do CrossFit. So, it was good to get the footballs out and throw them around. It was a good day."
The Georgia High School Association lifted its ban on sports-related equipment last week and boosted group workouts from 25 to 50 athletes.
The governing body of high schools across the state has been working toward the return of sports-related equipment since the athletes returned to campus with limited workouts on June 8. Monday was an affirmation that the GHSA is hungry to get the fall season started on time.
If the GHSA follows the same pattern as the last three weeks, they could announce a full return to practice at the annual dead period which is next week.
Nevertheless, Webb said he was most impressed with his quarterbacks and the receivers.
"I've been giving workouts for them to do at home, so it's obvious they had been throwing and working on some mechanic stuff I had asked them to do at home," Webb said about his QBs. "I was happy to see that. I was also happy to see our receivers running so well. One of the things our kids did a really good job of while they were out was running. I don't know that we're that far off as where we would be in a typical June."
