Published: April 30, 2008 01:39 pm         

Tigers looking to use first spring under Dees as springboard into regular season

ETHEL — Spring has never looked so good to Paul Dees.

The veteran football coach took over as Ethel head football coach last summer and really had to get to know his players and teach them a new system on the fly.

“I had never realized how important spring was until last year,” he said. “It took them three weeks (into the season) to get adjusted. We had to start from square one, so there was a lot of learning.”

This year his players have a better of idea of the offensive and defensive systems he wants to run and Dees also has a little better handle on the student athletes available.

“I’m excited and ready to get going,” Dees said last Thursday. The Tigers started spring workouts on Monday, which will culminate with a six-team jamboree at Weir on Thursday May 15.

“That’s going to be a good measuring stick for us,” Dees said. “Nobody will know anything other than the basic stuff, but it will let us know how far we have come.”

The other teams in the event are Durant, Weir, J.Z. George, West Oktibbeha and Noxapater. The Tigers will play everyone except for Noxapater.

Ethel goes into the spring looking to replace several key players, most notably a pair of linemen and the quarterback.

“We have got several big holes to fill,” Dees said. “But we have had a great offseason. The kids really got in the weightroom and worked hard.”

Dees said he expected 43 players out for spring practice.

“That’s a big umber for us,” he said. “We’re pretty excited about it.”

Dees said he and the coaching staff were looking at several options at quarterback, with senior Alexander Erving being among them.

“He will give us a different look,” he said. “We will probably be able to run more out of the quarterback position this year, but we are still going to spread it out for sure.”

Dees also pointed out that having every game be a district game was an adjustment for him.

“It’s tough,” he said. “You just can’t afford to take a step backwards. You can’t have a sleeper week. You have to be ready each time out.”

He said last year’s season opening loss to Nanih Waiya set the tone for both the Warriors and his Tigers.

“To me that is what helped get them in the playoffs,” he said. “If we had won it, our season would have totally turned around.”

The Tigers open the 2008 season at home on Aug. 29 against Nanih Waiya. Last year Ethel finished at 3-7, with all 10 games being division contests.