Published: August 11, 2006 10:17 am      

Snakes prep for intrasquad scrimmage

Snap crackle and pop were three sounds the San Marcos Rattlers got to hear a lot of this morning, and it wasn’t at the breakfast table.

Instead, it is the first day of full pad workouts for the Rattlers, who opened preseason workouts last Monday. And after four days of working out in shirts and shorts with no contact, SMHS head coach Steve Van Nest said his team is welcoming the full-pad workouts.

“Football is a contact sport and the kids kind of get tired going through drills without tackling,” said Van Nest. “So you can tell on the first day of pads that everyone is ready to go.”

The Rattlers went through a full workout Friday, spending equal time on offense and defense, while also working some on special teams.

The workout was a chance for the Rattlers to get ready for the first intrasquad scrimmage of the season. The scrimmage is slated for 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning at Bobcat Stadium.

Van Nest said the scrimmage will be a good measuring stick to see how much the team has progressed over the week and who will take charge in several battles for starting positions.

“Those who want to play on Friday night are the ones that will have to step up Saturday and show us what they have got,” said Van Nest.

Van Nest said the Rattlers will likely scrimmage for about an hour and a half, or until it gets too hot on the field.

San Marcos will scrimmage its first opposition next Saturday with a 10 a.m. outing at Killeen-Ellison and will follow with a home scrimmage against Laredo-Alexander on Aug. 25.

The Rattlers’ season opener is Sept. 1 at Kerrville-Tivy.