Titans ready for Lyman after lively week of practice

LAKE BUTLER Just four days ahead of a preseason game against Lyman High Aug. 19, the Olympia football team concluded practice Aug. 15 with an intense, physical scrimmage.

The high-energy session is something head coach Kyle Hayes hopes will be a catalyst for his team entering the fall, with intensity being an area where the second-year coach chooses to lead by example.

“It’s not an overnight thing, but they are starting to get that (intensity),” Hayes said. “I learned a long time ago from a coach that if you’re intense (as a coach), they’ll be intense. If you’re (relaxed), they’ll be (relaxed).”

Preseason games such as the one the Titans will host at 7 p.m. Friday offer coaches a chance to see how their players perform against a different opponent after beating up on one another since fall camp began Aug. 1.

For Olympia, the live game action will afford Hayes and his staff an opportunity to assess the new pieces on the team’s roster, whether it be standout transfers such as brothers James and Josh Green or freshman newcomer Corey Jackson, among others — all of whom were unavailable to play during the spring game against Wekiva.

For James Green, who heads the Titans’ talented linebacking unit, Friday’s game against the Greyhounds will be an opportunity to show what the Olympia defense can do.

“(We’re focused on) getting to the ball,” James Green said. “Everybody just playing our game, playing physical and everybody getting to the ball.”

One way or another, Friday’s preseason contest will help set the tone for the regular season, which opens Aug. 26 with the Titans on the road against Seminole (Sanford). Olympia went 7-4 last season, including a bowl game victory.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].