By TIM GUERCIO

The NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

NATCHEZ — Head Football Coach Chuck Darbonne of the Cathedral Green Wave said he wants to make sure his players are ready for spring practice.

Every player on the squad Thursday spent time with assistant coach Mark McCann to make sure the player was given the right set of pads to wear, and that all the gear fit right.

Monday the 2019 Green Wave football team will start their spring practice in full pads.

“Tuesday and Wednesday it was helmets only and today, Thursday, we lifted weights,” Darbonne said. “Monday we start competition to find out who will start for us this year. We will lift for 30 minutes and practice for an hour and a half every day.

“We will have competitive drills where there is a winner and a loser. This makes spring practice fun and our kids seem to thrive on that, too.”

Spring football, Darbonne said, is time to work on fundamentals.

“We will work on just some basic schemes,” Darbonne said, “and also Individual technique, such as the quarterbacks’ footwork. We will work with the offensive line and their hands. We will work on kicking and special teams.”

The Green Wave will practice through May 9 and will play a spring game away at Clinton Christian Academy on May 10, the time is still to be determined, Darbonne said.

Cathedral is looking back at a record of 4-6 last year.

“We played inconsistent last year,” Darbonne said. “We got beat by Simpson by 30, then beat Copiah Academy 34-8, I think, then turn around and lose to St. Al.”

The Green Wave lost eight seniors: Lance Gaude Jr., who played both offense and defense, at receiver and defensive back and will need to be replaces as well as Tyriek Lee who was the leading rusher and the Green Waves’ only All-Star last year.

The Green Wave will have three returning seniors: Ethan Huff, who started and played both ways. Chris Johnson, who also started and played both ways and Ben White, who missed last year due to an injury.

White will play receiver and defensive back, Darbonne said. Huff and Johnson will be counted on to play on both sides, offensive and defensive lines.

Darbonne said he has a really good junior class of 10 players.

“Some started as eighth-graders on the junior high team and then won district as ninth-graders,” Darbonne said. “With a lot of hard work for the next two years they could have a chance to play college ball at some level.”