Breaking into groups wasn't an issue at Waddell's opening football practice Friday.
With only 15 Raiders on the field, they pretty much remained as one group.
That didn't prevent new coach Quentin Hines from working the few-but-proud teenagers hard in the morning sun. They've been working out since mid-June in a mix of camps, 7-on-7's and weightlifting.
There just aren't a lot of them yet.
About 10 players were still ironing out the paperwork to make them eligible to practice. Hines said he'll comb the halls for prospects when school opens.
The Raiders on hand were enthusiastic and willing to work.
“They're good kids, hard-working and dedicated to the game,” said Hines, who was 16-6 the past two seasons coaching Parkdale High in Riverdale, Md. “They want to succeed.”
Hines, wearing a gray Waddell T-shirt, whipped the team through several conditioning and agility drills. A tougher one was four cones lined up as a square, with a fifth cone in the center. Players ran various routes through the maze. With not much depth, your turn to run came up fairly quickly.
“It's a little frustrating because there's not a lot of people out here, but that just makes us work harder,” said C.J. Miller, a senior cornerback/receiver. “We need to stay together. We know everybody who is here is working hard.”
Hines said he had opening-day excitement, even if he didn't have a large team to share it with.
“The numbers are a little discouraging, but like we say `We've got to coach the ones we've got,'” he said. “We may get some more players later on. This is a building process.”
With most the players having to play offense, defense and special teams, Hines knows his squad will have to be in top physical shape. The Raiders aren't loaded with massive linemen, and likely will rely on some form of a misdirection offense.
They'll also have to avoid injuries.
That's easy to imagine, but hard to do as a long football season grinds on.
“I'm just praying to God about that,” Hines said, laughing. “I know I've got to increase that prayer number.”
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