The Hot Springs Savage Heat had their first practice of the season on Monday as athletes and coaches gathered on the gridiron behind the high school. About 20 players attended the practice designed to provide coaches with an early look at what they will have to work with during the 2013-2014 season.

As the players organized themselves into rows across the field, coaches ran the team through stretching drills before transitioning into running and jumping exercises. As the morning wore on, coaches steadily increased the pace of the practice, moving on to drills instructing the players on the proper way to run a passing route. Potential receivers ran a predetermined path across the field before turning to attempt a successful catch.

Lineman coach for the Savage Heat Chris Clairmont said the practice on Monday was a way for coaches to see where the team has gaps in particular positions on the field. The Hot Springs football team lost several key players due to graduation last year. Clairmont said the team is looking to fill those roles with a combination of new talent and returning veterans.

“We have some big holes to fill. We had some pretty stellar people that graduated,” said Clairmont. “We are trying to find some guys to fill those spots and put ourselves in a position to win.”

The team will have the advantage of the presence of three returning seniors as well as several juniors that played on the team last year. Clairmont and the other coaches are hoping the returning veterans will assist them in bringing the rookies on the team up to speed.

Head Coach for the Savage Heat Jim Lawson said the team is looking good so far. In his fourth year as head coach, Lawson indicated the turnout for the practice was similar in numbers to previous years. Twenty players signed on to represent Hot Springs on the football field last year and Lawson said he was expecting around the same number of athletes this year.

“We are looking good so far. We have a lot of good returning players,” said Lawson. “We are dealing with replacing some guys who graduated. They were good players so we need some of these guys to step up and fill some of those starting positions.”

The team from Hot Springs will be playing six-man football, a style of football that compensates for low team rosters on smaller high school teams across the country. Six-man football is known as a fast paced game played on an 80 yard long by 40 yard wide field. Teams must gain 15 yards for a first down as opposed to the ten yards required by the standard game of football.

Six-man football was created in 1934 by a Nebraska high school coach to address the needs of teams from smaller high schools. The alternative game allows teams with smaller rosters to play high school football.

The Savage Heat will have their first game of the season against Geraldine-Highwood on Sept. 6.