All are ready for their players to get off the practice fields and into game action so they can see what they have. All expressed cautious optimism going into tonight’s games. Brentwood plays host to LaVergne while Ravenwood travels to Centennial. Both have 7 p.m. kickoffs. Brentwood Academy opens at home against Kingsbury at 7:30 p.m.

BHS head coach Crawford said that despite the heat, and more recently thunderstorms, that have impacted practices, he’s been proud of his team’s effort. “The focus has been there. I hope physically we’re there.

“We have a game-day rotation planned, but there’s no real way of knowing how it’s going to go without playing a full game for the first game,” he said. He wants to get answers to questions like “In the fourth quarter, who’s still going to be standing?”

A concern for Crawford is LaVergne itself, which has a new head coach, Stanton Stevens.

“(He’s) played two styles of offensive football” at his previous schools, Crawford said. “We scrambling, guessing about what they’re going to do. It’s a big question mark.”

The Bruins coaching staff has put together a depth chart and designated starters, but the Crawford said he’s never entirely sure how that will work out until the first game begins.

“Typically we’d like to have 11 on defense and 11 on offense,” he said. But they may not have that luxury. He said the Bruins have a solid rotation scheme, however, that will allow players to rest.

Over the past few weeks, Crawford said he’s been impressed with several juniors who played JV last year. Transfer Houston Brown from Riverdale has been cleared to play and Crawford noted he expects him to be a good addition to the defensive backfield as well as on offense.

Across the city at Ravenwood, second-year head coach Shuman said one of his major goals has already been achieved. The second he’ll find out about tonight when the Raptors face the Cougars, a team they beat 12-7 in 2009.

“The preseason has gone pretty much as I expected it to in most aspects,” he said. “I wanted to get the kids tougher and develop some chemistry. We are tougher, but we will find out about chemistry when the lights are on.”

One thing he didn’t count on was the number of injuries sustained before the first game whistle was blown.

“We are injured,” he said. “What I thought was depth has been eaten up by attrition.”

The Raptors’ coach said the injuries “are too numerous to mention,” when asked about specific players. “All we can do is put the next guy in.”

When asked if any player had surprised or impressed him in the preseason, Shuman didn’t single any one out. He noted that “for the most part, the athletes are on the field.”

BA’s Ralph Potter took his team off campus for the second year in a row to kick off its preseason workouts. “Our first week at Sewanee was great,” he said.

“First, we can practice better and more effectively because we can go in the morning and late at night. Second, we have more time for film sessions and ‘teaching walk throughs.’ Third, getting away from home and spending time with one another makes us closer.”

Leaving the cooler mountains for the high temps at the Granny White campus had an impact on the Eagles, just as the weather did for the Bruins and Raptors, with the team altering practice times or moving inside, Potter said.

Over the past few weeks, Potter noted that he hasn’t been surprised by any particular players, “but I am pleased with the way our boys have gone about their business.”

On the injury front, senior running back Joshua Pleasant has not practiced yet. He has a calf injury.

He credited the team’s preseason scrimmages for revealing “weaknesses that you begin to work on.” It’s important, I think, to scrimmage against good people.”

Like his peers, Potter said he’s excited to get the season going.