Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The work continues for the Troup Tigers.

With the start of a new football season scheduled to begin in less than six weeks, the Troup players were at the school five times last week for voluntary summer workouts.

It was the continuation of a summer program that began on June 8 when high-school sports teams in the state were given the go-ahead to return to work following the coronavirus shutdown.

If everything goes on as scheduled, Troup will play preseason games on Aug. 7 on Aug. 14 before opening the regular season on Aug. 21 against Harris County.

While there is plenty of uncertainty because of the ongoing health crisis, Troup head coach Tanner Glisson is pleased with the way the players are focusing on the task at hand.

“Our kids are resilient, and they’re excited,” Glisson said. “I don’t think any of them are thinking that. A lot of kids, they live day to day and don’t see the big picture, and right now that’s good.”

At the start of summer workouts, teams were extremely limited in what they could do, and things have opened up more as the weeks have gone along.

Now, teams are able to use a football and participate in one-on-one type drills, although players still can’t wear helmets or pads.

Teams can also have as many as 50 people in a group, but Troup has continued to stick with smaller groups.

“We have stayed with the same format with the pods and the times,” Glisson said. “Where we have changed is, we’re allowed to have a ball, so there have been more football drills, so there’s more throwing and stuff like that going on. We still can’t put helmets on, so we’re crossing our fingers for that.”

Voluntary workouts will continue through July 27 when official preseason practice gets underway.

The Tigers have had four weeks of voluntary workouts, and Glisson has been pleased with the participation.

“The people who have not been here, it’s because maybe parents have some concerns, or maybe they went on vacation,” Glisson said. “We don’t have people missing just to be missing, and that’s always a good thing.”