March 31, 2008

PHOTO GALLERY

2008 WCU Spring Football Roster in PDF Format

Cullowhee, N.C. - The Western Carolina Catamount football team opened its annual spring drills with its first of 15 days of practice Monday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. The practice, which lasted just under two hours, was held on the turf opened under mostly cloudy skies with brief rain showers falling during the waning moments of the session.

"It was great to get outside and have our first practice to start to establish some rhythm and organization with what we are trying to do," said first-year head coach Dennis Wagner. "We had a great day of practice - we still have a lot of work to do, but our goal is to get better each and every day we take the field."

Practice opened with all 64 active roster players participating in a helmet-and-shorts, 20-session workout where emphasis was placed on installation of set plays and fundamentals. Each position coach worked one-on-one with the players, with the respective units also working through team sessions with high energy, circuit drills amongst itself.

The offense and defense also came together for a 7-on-7 segment at the skill positions without the linemen, concentrating mostly on passing attack and defending the pass.

"The players were enthused to get back on the field, doing so with a high energy level. We have purposefully kept our practices less than two hours, short and sweet so our guys will get on the field, work hard and then get off the field," added Wagner.

WCU's 15-days of practice spread over a 20-day period will culminate with the annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 19th. Festivities will commence with the first-ever "A Taste of Tailgating" at the stadium with area vendors providing free food samples for fans.

The Catamounts will have one more practice in just jerseys and helmets on Tuesday afternoon, with Thursday's session marking the first day in full pads.