By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

It’s game week.

Troup assistant coach Tyler Wynn, a former quarterback at the school who led the Tigers to the state quarterfinals in 2003, offered that pronouncement loud and clear during practice Monday afternoon.

The message: Get your business in order, because the season is here.

After going through offseason conditioning, summer workouts, preseason practice, and last week’s scrimmage, the Tigers are a few days away from the first game of the 2009 season.

Friday night at Callaway Stadium, Troup will open its season against the Callaway Cavaliers in the second meeting between the two schools.

A year ago, also in Week 1, Troup outlasted Callaway 15-7.

“I’m excited about this team,” Troup head coach Bubba Jeter said. “We’ll see what unfolds.”

Jeter expects his Tigers to have their hands full Friday night.

The Cavaliers are coming off a 10-2 season that included a region championship and a state-playoff victory.

The Cavs return many of the starters from that team, and they showed off their explosiveness by scoring three touchdowns in the first half of a scrimmage against Greenville.

Greenville, though, outscored Callaway 26-20 in the first half.

“I think it’ll be a good game,” Jeter said. “I’m very, very impressed with Callaway. Greenville put up some points, but they can fly.”

The Tigers went at it hard in practice Monday, going through a series of full-contact drills.

Today will be another physical practice before, as Jeter put it, the Tigers “scale back on Wednesday.”

“Thursday is shorts and helmets,” Jeter added. “You let them get their legs back under them Wednesday and Thursday.”

Jeter said the Tigers head into the opener mostly healthy, although fullback Brandon Worle is questionable because of a knee that was operated on earlier in the summer.

Worle, Jeter said, will go to the doctor today, and he may be cleared to return to full-contact drills.

“They cleared him for helmet only, but no contact yet,” Jeter said.

It has been a long road to reach this point, and Jeter feels the players are as prepared as they can be.

“You’ve got your stages you go through to get to this point,” Jeter said. “You have the winter, summer lifting, then preseason camp. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes, so much year-round activity. They’re ready.”