WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty’s defending West Virginia Conference champion football team kicked off its first full practice session of preseason camp Friday afternoon on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of the summer.
With field-level temperatures hovering near the 120-degree mark under a blazing sun, head coach Roger Waialae and his staff were generally pleased with the results following a brisk 2 ½-hour workout.
Most of the day was spent familiarizing players with the offensive and defensive systems while introducing the newcomers to the techniques and drills they’ll be expected to perform on a daily basis for the rest of the month.
Since this was the first full day of practice, there were no team periods or 1-on-1s. The offense and defense remained in their own position groups throughout the session.
Record-setting senior QB Zach Amedro, who sat out spring drills to preserve his final semester of eligibility, showed no signs of rust after the layoff while senior TB Kevon Calhoun, coming off a breakout season with 1,529 rushing yards and 22 TDs, appears to have added 10 pounds of muscle over the off-season without sacrificing any of his speed or burst.
Returning WRs Ryan Travis and Willie Walker looked to be in midseason form and true freshman B.J. Hendrix, a high school running back, turned some heads with his speed and athleticism while working with the wide receivers.
Offensive line coach Dan Hopkins and defensive line coach Brad Forshey put their charges through some intense sessions. Offensive lineman Ralph Petrella seemed re-energized after sitting out the 2009 season while defensive linemen Isaac Omaits and Nathan Parry were noticeably bigger and stronger.
The defensive secondary appears to have undergone a significant upgrade with the addition of such newcomers as Alec Wood, Justin Black, Laurence Johnson and Marco Ricchetti while returning senior linebackers Clay Beeler, Mike Buffo and Freddy Kimbro obviously put in a lot of quality workout time during the summer.
A handful of the newer players were held out of practice waiting for insurance paperwork to be cleared up but are expected to hit the field in a few days.
West Liberty sports information director Matt Watson braved the triple-digit mercury to snap some pictures of the opening session. Here’s a link to Matt’s pictures: West Liberty Training Camp Photo Gallery
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