Madison County Red Raiders

Reprinted from the Madison County Journal August 10, 2006, edition Raiders start practice this past week, move to full-pads this week
BY BEN MUNRO The Raiders have now put on the armor in practice but it’s going to take a lot more pad-popping before Madison County head coach Randell Owens gets a good gauge on this year’s Raiders. Madison County – and the rest of the state — started practice last Wednesday and moved to full-pad workouts this past Monday. “Right now, it’s a cloudy picture,” Owens said. “Individuals have shown some signs of good things but we’ve got a lot to work on.” The team’s first practice in full pads Monday was cut short due to rain, allowing the Raiders to get in just an hour-and-a-half worth of practice time. Practices haven’t been “full-tilt” yet either with the team working out at seven-eighths speed Owens explained. “We really haven’t had an opportunity to evaluate where we are right now,” Owens said. As far as technique, Owens said skill position players are ahead of the linemen right now due to the work those groups got in during the summer passing league. The guys in the trenches are starting from ground-zero according to the coach. “We haven’t gelled yet as a team,” Owens said. A big part of that reason is that Madison County and the rest of the teams in the state haven’t had time. The start of summer practice coinciding with the start of school wiped out the traditional two-a-day sessions that coaches used to start the preseason. For the rest of this story, see this week's edition of The Madison County Journal.