By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

HOGANSVILLE – The finish line is in sight.

The Callaway Cavaliers have a little more than a week remaining in the summer schedule, and they’re going to make the most of it.

The Cavaliers will go to Auburn University on Saturday for a seven-on-seven competition, and they’ll have two 11-on-11 camps next week.

Official preseason practice gets under way on July 25 according to the Georgia High School Association calendar, and Callaway will have less than two weeks after that before it plays a preseason game against Northside-Columbus on Aug. 11

Callaway opens its season on Aug. 18 against LaGrange.

“You have to grind every day whether it’s in the weight room, or on the field, or in camp,” Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins said. “Our first game is getting very close. There’s a lot of work to do.”

Like every other team in the state, Callaway was off last week for the GHSA-mandated dead week.

The Cavaliers returned to their normal summer schedule on Monday as the players gathered at the school for a morning workout.

On Saturday, Callaway will participate in its second major seven-on-seven tournament of the summer.

In June, Callaway went to the University of Georgia for a seven-on-seven competition, and it posted a 6-1 record and reached the semifinals.

“We went down to UGA and were 6-1, and lost to a team out of Miami in the semifinals,” said Matt Napier, Callaway’s offensive coordinator. “That was the only loss we had. So we’re expecting to go (to Auburn) and do well.”

Napier added that “we were the smallest school to go to the UGA seven-on-seven camp, and I’m sure it’ll be the same thing at Auburn. And we’ve always been able to compete and hold our own, and play for the championship at times.”

Next week, Callaway will share the field with Newnan and Villa Rica for a pair of 11-on-11 camps.

The benefit of an 11-on-11 is that it allows some contact while providing a closer approximation of what teams will see during the season.

“It is like live practice,” Napier said. “It’s as good of reps as you can get. It’s no to the ground stuff. You try to stay up. But it’s like having a live practice with your team. And you go against two quality opponents. So we’re excited about that.”

On Tuesday, Newnan will serve as the host school, and Callaway will be at home on July 20 with Newnan and Villa Rica.

“Those are two big schools, and two good football teams,” Wiggins said. “I think it’ll be good for our program.”

The Cavaliers are coming off the best season in school history.

Callaway went 13-1, and it made it to the Class AA semifinals before losing to Benedictine.