By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The Troup Tigers got back into the grind last week.

Troup, along with every other team in the state, took some time off for the Georgia High School Association-mandated dead week during the week of July 4th.

On Monday, the Tigers were back on the practice field for the continuation of their summer program that began in June.

Troup’s players get some time on the field, and in the weight room each day, and they also receive breakfast and lunch.

“We’re just trying to get back to the fundamentals, get back to work, and just get back to getting ready for the season,” said Kelby Holt, Troup’s offensive coordinator. “It’s a little conditioning, a little weight training. That kind of stuff.”

Holt said the dead week was welcomed by the players and coaches.

“You almost have to break it up,” Holt said. “You’ve got to let them be kids. You don’t want to lose them. You want them to play for a long time.”

Next week, the Tigers will break up the routine when they head to Kennesaw State to participate in a seven-on-seven tournament.

It will be Troup’s third seven-on-seven tournament of the summer after competing at Auburn and Alabama in June.

“They’re fun,” Holt said. “You get to see a lot of really good competition. You get to see so many different offenses, and defenses. It helps us with things we might see, where we feel like we’re weak. It’s good, and the kids enjoy it. But it’s a grind because you play so many games.”

Troup will continue its summer program through July 25 when official preseason practice gets started.

Teams can begin holding full-contact practices on Aug. 1, and Troup will host Northside-Columbus in a preseason game on Aug. 10.

Troup opens the regular season on Aug. 24 with a showdown at Ridgeland.

Both teams are coming off successful 2017 seasons.

Troup went 9-3 and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs before losing to St. Pius X.

Ridgeland went 11-1 and won a region championship, and it fell to Jefferson in the second round.