May

The crunching of colliding football pads and the piercing sound of whistles have returned to the Guthrie Bluejays' football practice field.

Coach Kelly Beeby and the coaching staff have been evaluating the roster during the spring workouts.

“We're reviewing our returning starters,” Beeby said. “We're trying to determine who is going to replace the graduates. We've got competition on the defensive line. We've got competition at the wide receiver spot. We've got competition on the offensive line, we've got competition in the secondary.”

The Bluejays, whose previous season ended in a 26-21 defeat to Mc-Calister in the quarterfinals, began practicing on Monday, May 16. They will practice frequently through May 26 — the time period allotted by the athletic association.

Tuesday, players practiced for about three hours. They did team and individual drills.

A group of about 15 incoming freshmen also were invited to watch, but not yet allowed to participate.

Beeby said sometimes a larger group like that comes out, and sometimes only two or three incoming freshmen make it. He is excited about what those players will bring when they can put on pads.

“That's a pretty good set of kids for us, the incoming ninth graders,” Beeby said. “They've got a good set of parents and they've always been really involved. We're excited about those guys coming in as freshmen.”

After the spring practices conclude, the Bluejays will be off until June 6, when they will start their Summer Pride conditioning program.

“Right now, we're trying to take a bunch of young guys and teach them as much as we can,” Beeby said. “Evaluate their natural ability on the field in competition. That's what you always try to get out of spring ball. Come through a little bit smarter. A littl.”e bit tougher. And healthy