Practice in full swing in view of new facility

— More than 150 football players turned out Tuesday morning returning to summer football training after two weeks of “dead week” - a period of time with no contact with their coaches.

A “Two Week Dead Period” was mandated in 2008 by the Arkansas Activities Association.

Now begins four days a week of training, and pre-season twoa-days begin in August, according to head senior high Blackhawk coach Tony Travis.

“We will be weight lifting, running, getting in shape,” Travis said of the work in July. “We’ll have two 7/7 matches and another team camp in Gravette.”

One face will be noticably absent.

Joseph Adams, junior, who was making a name for himself in both football and basketball, will not be a Blackhawk this year. Hehas moved to Rogers.

“Yes, Joe has moved to Rogers.

I don’t think he’s going to be with us this year,” Travis said. “It won’t help us, for sure. But, it’s just one of those things.

“Anytime somebody is hurt or suspended or can’t play for any reason, it creates an opportunity for somebody else. When you’ve got 50 plus on the team, and can only play 11 on the field at a time, there are young guys on the bench. You never know when your chance is going to come along.

“This will create an opportunity for someone,” Travis said.

“I hate to lose him (Adams). Heis a good kid, just a good student overall.

“It creates an opportunity for somebody to step up. It was a good thing we found out early this summer,” Travis said.

Coach Lafe Caton will be the defensive coordinator. This will be Caton’s first year in Pea Ridge, although he is not new to northwest Arkansas. Caton was at Rogers High School from2001-2010 and spent last year in Nashville, Ark.

“We have a really big seventhgrade class coming in,” Travis said, adding that there are 49 players on the seventh-grade team. There are about 150 players in seventh through 12th grades.

New fieldhouse

While the boys are practicing, they are also seeing the walls go up on the new multipurpose facility just south of their practice field.

Travis said the original deadline for completion was Aug.

26, but he’s been told all along they’re ahead of schedule, he said.

The downstairs area of the two-story fieldhouse will be air conditioned, but the locker room and large portion of the facility will not be.

“It’s just going to be used for bad weather as far as actual football practice,” Travis said, adding that it could be advantageous when the team is broken down into smaller groups working on specific skills. “It’s a little more game like in there ... most of the time, with good weather, we’ll be outside.

“The cheerleading squad will utilize it,” he said.

School begins Monday, Aug.

  1. The Blackhawks are set to scrimmage at Fayetteville Monday, Aug. 22, and Pride night is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 26, at Blackhawk Stadium.

Sports, Pages 7 on 07/06/2011