Permian head football coach Jeff Ellison wants to see his players build confidence on offense and defense as Permian begins its fall practices this week.
He saw members of his defense play with a slight edge over the offense during Tuesday’s session.
“We’ve got a lot of guys returning on defense, we’ve got a lot of talent offensively but with our playing experience I think our defense is ahead of our offense right now and that’s fine,” Ellison said. “There’s going to be battles back and forth, getting that experience and getting those snaps in practice, we’re going to continue to get better offensively.”
Senior Kayden Baze was one of the defense’s returning players who made an impact since the first whistle to start practice.
The defensive back could be seen breaking up passes in coverage drills and pumping up his teammates when it was their turn to take the field.
“The momentum and the energy that we have, it’s crazy,” Baze said. “All of the seniors we have on the team, we all come together and we love to play football.”
Bringing out the energy from the offense and some of the younger Permian players is one of the key things Baze will focus on throughout the rest of the team’s practices.
The Panthers had already been working up to their fall training sessions throughout the spring and the summer.
After spring ball took place, a number of Permian athletes competed in 7 on 7 tournaments and went to speed and strength programs to stay in shape when away from school.
Ellison said keeping his players conditioned through the offseason is a big part of what the Permian program does.
The head coach saw a high turnout of players and that’s paying off early in fall practices.
As newcomers get added in to the mix, Ellison sees players who are hungry and want to do well with the snaps they are given.
“The effort’s been great, it’s just getting things ironed out,” Ellison said. “When we get pads on them, we get to start all over.”
He is also ready to get his players back into the routine of practicing while balancing their academic schedules with school starting.
Baze said the biggest difference between the fall and spring is getting to participate in football drills along with the rest of the team.
“Everybody missed it, everybody missed coming out here and being able to play football,” Baze said. “We like lifting, we like running sprints and stretching but you can’t go wrong with football; everybody loves to come out here, do that and compete.”
The senior knows he is providing an example to follow for some of the younger players trying to carve out a spot on any of the Panthers’ teams.
Executing drills correctly shows them what to do and what to avoid when they are out on the practice field or in a game setting.
Permian will continue practicing this week in the evening on the grass field outside the W.T. “Bill” Edwards Athletic Facility.
The turf on John Wilkins Field hadn’t been fully reinstalled as of Tuesday evening and all of Permian’s athletes are set to start school Thursday.
“That’ll be a little bit easier for everybody, but it’s good to have them up here going to the locker room, seeing helmets and seeing equipment in there,” Ellison said. “It’s great.”
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