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PITTSBURG —
Every season has to begin sometime and for Pittsburg State, it was in helmets and shorts Thursday night at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium, kicking off preseason camp with its first practice under the bright lights.
“You go all summer and you don’t really get to have much contact with them at all,” Pitt State head coach Tim Beck told reporters during practice. “So, getting back out here, we’ve got a big group and I know they’re real anxious to get started. But they’re not quite as anxious as their coaches are, so we’re pretty fired up. We’re excited to be back out here.”
“It feels great,” Pitt State senior offensive lineman Aaron Kolich said. “It’s been a long time. It was a short summer but I am glad we’re back. We’re all excited. We’re all antsy to get on the field and start going. The first two days are going to be slow and frustrating because we don’t have pads on.”
First opponent Northeastern State now stands less than three weeks away for Pitt State, far closer to the Gorillas than the National Championship Game in the rearview mirror.
“We all understand expectations are probably a lot higher than they were a year ago but that’s just part of it,” Beck said. “Our coaching staff understands we’ve just got to try to get our guys ready to go one week at a time and we understand that we’ve got to go to Tahlequah and it will be a very tough opening game. We won’t know much about them and they’ll be fired up and ready to go. Every year’s a new year.”
Beck said the first few days of practice will be a balancing act of going fast enough for veteran players and not going too fast for the new players. The Pitt State coaching staff emphasizes a fast practice as being crucial to success on gamedays.
Pitt State practices in the early morning the next few days — 7 a.m. practices Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday leading up toward the first 7-and-7 two-a-day practice session on Tuesday. The evening session Tuesday features the famous Gorilla Drill and 3-on-3 drills.
The big day before the season opener will be Saturday, Aug. 18. Pitt State hosts the annual YMCA Youth Football Clinic at 11 a.m., followed by Autograph Day from 1-3 p.m. at Meadowbrook Mall, the third annual Ladies Night at the Pitt from 6-7:30 p.m. and then a practice session that night. Events are in Carnie Smith Stadium, unless otherwise noted.
Every season has to begin sometime and for Pittsburg State, it was in helmets and shorts Thursday night at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium, kicking off preseason camp with its first practice under the bright lights.
“You go all summer and you don’t really get to have much contact with them at all,” Pitt State head coach Tim Beck told reporters during practice. “So, getting back out here, we’ve got a big group and I know they’re real anxious to get started. But they’re not quite as anxious as their coaches are, so we’re pretty fired up. We’re excited to be back out here.”
“It feels great,” Pitt State senior offensive lineman Aaron Kolich said. “It’s been a long time. It was a short summer but I am glad we’re back. We’re all excited. We’re all antsy to get on the field and start going. The first two days are going to be slow and frustrating because we don’t have pads on.”
First opponent Northeastern State now stands less than three weeks away for Pitt State, far closer to the Gorillas than the National Championship Game in the rearview mirror.
“We all understand expectations are probably a lot higher than they were a year ago but that’s just part of it,” Beck said. “Our coaching staff understands we’ve just got to try to get our guys ready to go one week at a time and we understand that we’ve got to go to Tahlequah and it will be a very tough opening game. We won’t know much about them and they’ll be fired up and ready to go. Every year’s a new year.”
Beck said the first few days of practice will be a balancing act of going fast enough for veteran players and not going too fast for the new players. The Pitt State coaching staff emphasizes a fast practice as being crucial to success on gamedays.
Pitt State practices in the early morning the next few days — 7 a.m. practices Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday leading up toward the first 7-and-7 two-a-day practice session on Tuesday. The evening session Tuesday features the famous Gorilla Drill and 3-on-3 drills.
The big day before the season opener will be Saturday, Aug. 18. Pitt State hosts the annual YMCA Youth Football Clinic at 11 a.m., followed by Autograph Day from 1-3 p.m. at Meadowbrook Mall, the third annual Ladies Night at the Pitt from 6-7:30 p.m. and then a practice session that night. Events are in Carnie Smith Stadium, unless otherwise noted.
