HOT TIGER PRACTICES PICK UP STEAM

Of the four days that Cape Central has practiced, Thursday was the hottest.

It was also the happiest.

Cape Central's coaches were all upbeat and optimistic Thursday after the Tigers completed their first day of full-contact practice.

It was a good day for the Tigers, who didn't start the week off so well.

"The first day, we weren't happy campers," Central coach Lawrence Brookins said. "We had some guys who were tardy in getting their physicals. And you can't practice without a physical. That was disgusting to us as a staff because these are guys who were all contributors last year and knew what needed to be done."

But as the week progressed, so did Central's practices.

"The whole practice today was crisp," Brookins said.

Many question marks

Brookins said no more than five offensive positions and no more than seven defensive positions have been nailed down yet.

Perhaps the most hotly contested position is at quarterback where junior Jay Ruark, sophomore Mitch Craft and sophomore Mark Dunaway are competing.

Brookins said all three have been impressive during the first week of practice. He also said the odd men out could wind up playing a different offensive position or concentrate more on the defensive side of the ball.

After losing Justin Welker (graduation) and Marcus Brookins (health), Central is starting from scratch at tight end and that position may be the most wide-open.

But overall, Brookins is more worried about a lack of depth than a lack of solid starters.

Seeking leadership

The No. 1 concern for Brookins to this point is finding leadership. The team had several leaders last year, but not many have stepped into that role so far this August.

"It's like you're in a room where there's a telephone ringing," Brookins said. "Well, one guy won't pick up the phone because he thought another guy was going to do it. We need someone to pick up that phone."

This and that

Originally penciled in as a tight end, transfer Kyle Duncan from New York was moved to fullback Thursday. The coaches liked what they saw and Duncan could have a shot at earning the starting spot.

Cape Central's senior transfer Marcus Klund, the brother of assistant coach Greg Klund, has impressed Brookins as much with his receiving ability as with his running abilities. Klund, who played for Scott City, was the area's second-leading rusher last year behind Jackson's Mario Whitney.

Cape Central has not had any ill-effects due to the heat.

JACKSON

In football, touchdown strikes are great.

Lightning strikes are not.

Jackson coach Carl Gross cut practice short Thursday night after lightning bolts chased the team to shelter.

The Indians had already cut short the practices earlier in the week due to the hot weather.

But "so far, so good," Gross said. "We've had no problems. Everybody has finished everything."

Long-term memory.

Gross has been pleasantly surprised with how well the learning process is going.

With a senior class of 32 members and with no coaching turnover in several years, the Indians are grasping things quickly.

"What has really surprised me is the retention," Gross said. "It's amazing how quickly we've picked up right where we left off last year."

Gross said he's not too worried about the missed practice time because of the heat.

"It's like I tell our players," he said, "It's not the quantity, it's the quality."

Healthy competition

Gross has liked what he's seen on the offensive and defensive lines. He said he has about seven players competing for the five offensive spots and about the same on the defensive side.

He also said he has four promising tight ends who are battling for playing time.

"The competition is a good thing," Gross said. "The biggest thing is to get the pieces in the right place and to get our best 11 on the field. But it's good when we have some guys who are at about the same level so we can platoon and keep guys fresh."