NATCHEZ — Zach Rogel would have liked to have spring training for his first season as head coach of the Trinity Saints, but given the circumstances, he’ll have to settle with weights and conditioning this spring.

Having football players that play tennis or run track, Rogel’s numbers have suffered in the early going,

As a result, Rogel decided to wait to install his playbook over the summer and focus strictly on conditioning and workouts with what little time he has left for spring training.

“Given our numbers, it just didn’t make sense,” Rogel said. “I have a big elaborate summer program planned out, though.”

What Rogel has in store for Trinity is a manual his team must fill out in the summer. It requires his team to be at the school five times a week, lifting weights for three of those days. He’ll also encourage his team to workout on the field with their teammates without the coaches present.

“We can’t go out on the field and work with them, but they’ll be up there doing it themselves,” Rogel said.

As two-a-days inch closer, Rogel will give his team a playbook and ask them to memorize it as the season draws near.

The absence of pads hasn’t shaken Rogel’s confidence, and his team reflected that sentiment Friday afternoon as they gathered to max out on the weights.

“How do you feel?” Sophomore Dee Fleming shouted. “Good!” His teammates answered in unison.

“How do you feel?” Fleming repeated. “Fired up!” His teammates responded.

For Fleming, he was extra fiery, changing the song in the weight room for every max bench press attempt. Understandingly, this is a day the running back has been waiting for — a day to show off his strength in the weight room. That he did by lifting more than any other player with a 315 max bench press.

Unlike most of his teammates, Fleming didn’t play other sports in the spring. Instead, he worked drills tirelessly with a mission to improve.

The returning starting running back knows he’s going to have to step up too, seeing the absence of 13 seniors.

“I’m going to have to be a leader, and I’m going to have to work my absolute hardest during the offseason,” Fleming said.

Rogel said replacing 13 seniors will be difficult, and after spending quality with the players he has through athletic director obligations, Rogel is confident in the bunch he’s inherited.

“I’ve watched hundreds of hours of game film, and I’m pretty confident in what they can do,” Rogel said. “I’m not worried about missing spring at all. I know their competitiveness. I’ve got a pretty good read on them.”