THOMASVILLE – On Wednesday the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets kicked off their spring practice with one of the biggest turnouts they’ve ever had. 170 players took the field for the first day of practice.

“This is the most I’ve ever had anywhere I’ve been,” said Head Coach Justin Rogers. “It’s taken a lot of organizational meetings going into spring, so that way you are utilizing all of your field space. I thought the kids and the coaches did a really good job.”

With such an incredible turnout, Rogers is relying on the experience and continuity of his staff to turn this group of kids into a team.

“The important thing is we have everybody coming back,” Rogers said. “So, having that continuity helps a lot because offensively and defensively, schematic wise, everyone is on the same page.”

This spring will be made much easier than last spring for Rogers. As a first year head coach, Rogers spent much of last spring getting to know his staff as well as the players, which can make it difficult to run an effective practice. But, having finished his first season, Rogers and his staff are now able to focus on educating and preparing their team.

With the fall season in the future, Rogers and his staff are focusing on their players and finding the best sport for them to succeed.

“You’re wanting to try to make sure you’re getting kids in the right position, first and foremost,” he said. “How they can be the most successful. Sometimes a position change can help that, and then identify players who can help us in the fall. It’s a lot of identifying those areas.”

The Yellow jackets will continue their practices through May 10 and will take on Perry in a spring football game on May 12.