Monday afternoon marked the beginning of the 2008 prep football season, with local players taking the field for the first official day of practice.

And although there weren’t any record highs set, temperatures still climbed well into the mid 90’s ––leaving some local football coaches with a little concern.

“The heat is always a concern for everybody,” Athens coach Allen Creasy said. “ But it’s not as big of a concern as it once was since we’re not able to have two-a-days anymore. We don’t have to worry about getting them ready for practice again that same day and because of that, we’re not seeing as many problems as we use to.”

Even though Monday temperatures were still warm, Creasy knows his team members have to get their work in. Creasy said in order to keep things from being such a big shock when his players hit the field, he brought the team in a week earlier for practice-type conditioning.

Creasy’s main concern is dehydration. And like every other coach in Limestone County, he is taking precautionary measures.

“We’re going to have plenty of water available so that they can get it when they need it,” Creasy said.

Creasy added that they would have plastic swimming pools filled with ice and water located near the field in case a player suffers heat exhaustion.

Even though high school football coaches are educated on the importance of hydration and water is readily available at all football practices, it doesn’t mean a football player is safe from heat-related injury. But according to Encore trainer Phil Cross, there are ways to cut the risk in half.

“When these guys go home, they need to keep hydrated,” Cross said. “They need to drink Gatorade before and after practice and make sure they drink plenty of water during practice. But honestly, hydration is something that football players need to start thinking about several weeks before practice starts.”

According to Cross, signs that an athlete might be suffering heat exhaustion include nausea, dizziness and fatigue. But if players stay hydrated during the day then most problems can be eliminated.

Even though temperatures will continue to soar throughout the rest of the week, all of the coaches are glad that practice has finally arrived.