Back to work: Jackets QB Jaylen Johnson rolling out of the pocket during OTAs (Grayson Plunkett)

THOMASVILLE– Summer continues to wind down as the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets held their annual OTAs this week.

Central welcomed Tift County, Troup County and Creekside high school for joint practices on Tuesday and Wednesday as the four teams sharpened their skills before fall camp

“I thought it went really well, I thought there was some really great work.” Central Head Coach Justin Rogers said. “Tift, Troup, Creekside are very talented and are all very well coached, so it was great to see a lot of different schemes, a lot of different skill sets from different players and it was good for our players.”

All four teams compete in different classifications as Tift competes in 6-A, while Creekside is 4-A and Troup is 3-A.

Rogers believes there are adjustments to be made, however, he did see things to be celebrated. 

“There were some things that showed us what we need to work on and continue to get better at. There were highlights that we really liked.”

He took the opportunity to get a first look at the special teams unit this season.

“One of the best things is being able to work on special teams for the first time.” Coach Rogers said. “We did a little small segment of special teams to get that first look at that unit, because if you don’t have that taken care of it could cost you in early games.

The OTAs gave a chance for the coaching staff to look at the second unit before fall camp. 

“They give you a chance to evaluate, it is an evaluation tool.” Rogers said. “So you’re making sure you put your best product out there and see who can and can’t play. Our twos get a ton of reps in these OTAs and you’re really able to identify where your depth is really coming from.”

The Jackets kickoff fall camp at midnight on July 28th with Midnight Madness.