Packers take the field; Teams around the state open practice for 2015 season
Published 10:12 am Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Jackson Hample, left, and Sam Diggins make contact on the first day of practice for the Austin Packer football team on Monday on Art Hass Field. It was also the first day the players had practiced on the new turf on the Wescott Athletic Complex. Photos by Jason Schoonover/jason.schoonover@austindailyherald.com
The Austin football team opened its season a week earlier than usual with a different playing surface when it began practice at Art Hass Stadium Monday.
Every football team in Minnesota was able to open practice on Monday and the first game is just two weeks away as the state tournament will be earlier — Oct. 29-Nov. 14. In most football seasons, teams get three weeks to prepare for their first game, but this year the Packers only have two weeks until they open their season at Rochester John Marshall at 7 p.m. Aug. 22.
Austin head coach Brett Vesel said a solid summer for the Packers helped prepare them, but the first practice of the year was a hectic one.
Tate Hebrink hands off to Tabarie Gunsallus.
“We’ve got to learn a lot more stuff,” Vesel said. “It’s a little bit complicated getting that stuff in when we would normally have it in. We have to rush quite a bit.”
Monday also marked the first day the Packers were able to test out the new artificial turf at Art Hass. Vesel said the turf will be very helpful.
“It was nice. It rained last night and when you get out on the field it’s perfect,” he said. “It doesn’t matter that it rained the night before. It’s a great surface to be on. The kids were pretty jacked up, and all of us coaches were pretty excited about it.”
