NATCHEZ — Last Saturday was the first day MAIS schools were allowed to practice football in helmets and pads, and Adams County Christian coach Paul Hayles didn’t waste a minute of that time.

ACCS began its preseason practicing right at midnight on Saturday, and Hayles said it was quite a hit.

“It was really surprising how many people came out to see it,” Hayles said. “There were a lot of people in the bleachers. It was also by far the coolest practice we’ve had temperature wise.”

Hayles said it took the players a while to get used to having spectators, but once they did, they enjoyed their time out there.

“At first the kids were a bit distracted by how many people came out to watch them,” Hayles said. “But then we got after it pretty good.”

The midnight practice was the start of three weeks of full-scale practice leading up to ACCS’ first game Aug. 20 against CENLA Christian.

The Rebels are currently going through two-a-days, and Hayles said he is pleased with the condition his players are in.

“The key to being competitive is conditioning,” Hayles said. “A lot of things kids do today don’t put them outside, but our kids came in strong and hard. I’m pleased with the effort at this point.”

Hayles said the most important thing he is working on this early in practice is the offensive line.

“We’re trying to find that cohesiveness on the offensive line,” Hayles said. “We feel like our backs are pretty solid and we have a lot of yards returning from last year. The big thing is if we can get through and stay healthy and find a way for (the offensive line) to work, we’ll be good to go.”