The arrival of spring typically means the return of football via spring practice.

Yet on the Louisiana side of the Miss-Lou, there were no sounds of pads hitting one another or whistles being blown. The football fields were barren.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association allows high schools around the state to determine whether they want to hold a spring session in January. For Delta Charter School, Ferriday High School and Vidalia High School, all three chose to defer for an extra week in summer instead of having the two weeks this spring season.

“I think it is more beneficial to practice in the summer than in the spring,” said Vidalia coach Dee Faircloth. “I haven’t been too crazy about spring practice throughout my time coaching because one, our baseball team is typically very good and two, my quarterback is usually the pitcher. So why practice when I don’t have my quarterback?”

For the past three years, Vidalia’s starting quarterback and starting pitcher has been Tristan Weatherly. He will begin his senior season in the fall.

Faircloth is not the only Miss-Lou coach who feels his team would get more out of summer practice. Both Delta Charter’s Blake Wheeler and Ferriday’s Stanley Smith had the same approach to opting against spring practice.

Wheeler opposed the spring session because a handful of his players are on the Storm baseball team, while Smith said “no” to the option because he coaches the Trojans’ track and field team — in which a lot of the football team participates. Plus, Smith said he wanted his players to focus on state tests.

Although hurdling so many obstacles was the primary reason the three coaches decided against the spring session, one opted out because of a bigger issue.

“If I had the option, I would decline it every time,” Smith said. “You don’t have your exact team out there during spring practice.”

Both Faircloth and Wheeler reiterated Smith’s point of potentially not having the same team in the fall than they would in the spring because players could move or quit. However, Smith said just how valuable it is to gain the extra week in the summer.

“That extra week allows you to work on the fundamentals,” Smith said. “It helps you make sure your players’ skills are coming along and they are getting the Xs and Os down. So it’s more beneficial because of that.

“You get everybody — your exact team — out there during summer practices. Everyone gets the work in instead of maybe worrying about state tests or other sports. That’s huge.”

Although all three programs declined spring practices, it doesn’t mean that will be the case in the future.

Last year, the Vikings went through the spring session because Faircloth made his return to coaching after being retired for the past eight years. Vidalia implemented a new system, evaluated their players’ talent level and made sure its roster could handle the schemes.

When making the decision whether to do spring or summer, Wheeler likes to keep his team in mind.

“It’s important to do what you think is best for your team,” Wheeler said. “I have worked for coaches that always wanted a spring practice and then I have worked with some that would do what’s best for the program. So my mindset is do what’s best for your program and determine your team’s individual needs.”

This year, spring practice was deemed unimportant to all three teams. So Delta Charter, Ferriday and Vidalia are gearing up for summer conditioning, 7-on-7 games and eagerly awaiting for July 31 — the first day the LHSAA allows schools to practice who opted against the spring session to execute gameplans.

“Can’t wait for the first practice,” Faircloth said.