PC's Parker building unity under the lights
By Staff
Scot Beard
The lights of Parrish Stadium on the campus of Phil Campbell High School glistened off the dew covering the field.
Players flopped on the ground like fish out of water as they moved from a push-up position to a sit-up position and back again as the coaches barked orders.
In a few short seconds, the players' clothes were soaking wet. The conditions could have been miserable if this practice had been during the heat of the day, but the Bobcats' coach scheduled this practice early in the morning.
The first minute of the morning to be exact.
Michael Parker wanted to make his first fall practice as Phil Campbell's coach a memorable one, so he scheduled it for 12:01 a.m. Monday – the earliest time allowed by the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
"My first year as a head coach I did this with a team coming off an 0-10 season like this one," Parker said. "It brought unity to the team and that is what I wanted to do here."
It worked the first time he tried it, guiding Speake to four wins during his first season with that program.
The players have taken notice.
"We have come together a lot as a team," said senior guard Houston Hilliard. "People are ready to go and not dreading it."
Parker said the team worked hard over the summer to prepare for practice and is happy with his teams' effort so far.
"We have ran and flipped tractor tires and are in good shape," Parker said. "They knew by the end of summer they would be in shape."
Since AHSAA guidelines forbid teams from practicing in pads during the first three days of fall practice, the Bobcats spent much of Monday's practice working on the basics of special teams.
Parker said there was only so much the players could do in helmets and shorts, and decided the special teams work was a good start because he wanted to stress to the team the importance of being fundamentally sound.
Once the Bobcats get into pads, the offense will have some work to do as the philosophy has changed.
"We will be more of a running team than a passing team like we were last year," said senior running back Adam Mitchell. He said he was excited about the change.
Parker and the seniors will try to turn around the Bobcats' recent football woes – only two wins in the last two seasons.
Mitchell said he hopes the fans will notice that this team will play harder than previous teams.
"It will be a good, hard-nosed game," Hilliard said. "We are hoping to be the start of a new era."
