Trojans enjoy first practice in pads

Oak Ridge High's varsity football team ended their first week of practice Saturday in helmets and pads and were excited to hit. The team spent the first hour with position drills before spending the last 45 minutes in a scrimmage against each other. It was a great way to end the first week of practice. "It's been a great week," senior linebacker Brayden Molloy said. "We've been getting after it and we're excited to be out here. Everyone has had a lot of energy." Senior receiver/defensive back Isaac Pierce agreed. "It's been a super good first week. We've been building things getting ready for today and we're all excited to get done with this first week." Quarterback Nick Johnson is glad the team survived the heat. "The first week was great," Johnson said. Everybody's out here competing. It's been hot, but we love it. We're grinding, getting ready for Week 1 in Texas." Added senior receiver Jack Granrud, "Practice is going good. It's been a long week and I'm sore in some spots, but it's going good." Oak Ridge head coach Casey Taylor said the first week has been good. "It's been great. It's been hot, but we've been getting ready for that Texas heat," Taylor said. "The first week is always kind of crazy getting everybody in helmets and then the shoulder pads and full gear. It will be nice and cool this morning so we're excited to get out there and run around." Oak Ridge opens the season with a game in Argyle, Texas, on August 28, which is about 45 miles northwest of Dallas. The heat they experienced this week will be similar to what it will be like in Texas. Saturday the high in Argyle was 103 degrees.