High school notebook: Norman's Patrick Ahearn remains critical

The Irish plan on practicing at around 6:45 p.m. every night this week, with a Friday morning workout mixed in.

With Jones now in his second year, he said the installation of his system is much smoother than it was a year ago.

“It's night and day,” Jones said. “We talked about our install schedules with the coaches and they don't even look the same as they did last year.

“It allows us to add wrinkles to what we do earlier instead of working on the basics.”

KRUGER TO SPEAK TO OKCPS COACHES

Though football and other sports began their seasons on Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Public Schools will hold an official season kickoff on Aug. 22 at an event headlined by Oklahoma men's basketball coach Lon Kruger.

Kruger, in his second year at OU, will serve as the keynote speaker of the annual OKCPS coaches' dinner, sharing from his experiences as a college and NBA head coach and answering questions from those in attendance.

SUMPTER IMPRESSES COACH

Edmond Santa Fe coach Lance Manning said Phillip Sumpter will move from a defensive back to linebacker this season and also will play tailback.

“I can't say enough about Phillip Sumpter,” Manning said. “He just had a great offseason. I feel like he is a Division I talent. He is going to land somewhere.”

NO MORE TWO-A-DAYS

Most high school football coaches have ended the old tradition of two-a-day practices, Manning said.

“You would find very few high schools that do that,” he said.

Manning prefers one long morning workout with several breaks for the players until school meetings dictate moving practice to the afternoon. That allows players the rest of the day to rest and recover.

“It's got to be where it's a better deal for the coaches, the players and the families themselves,” he said.

With the emphasis on offseason conditioning and seven-on-seven passing leagues in the summer, most players show up on the opening day of practice in excellent shape.

“There is never really a down time in football anymore,” Santa Fe quarterback Justice Hansen said. “We got workouts all summer.”