Don’t look now, but football season isn’t too far away.

And with less than three months remaining before kickoff, now seems like the perfect time for a gridiron primer.

Spring practice ended recently, and nine teams in The Times’ coverage are officially ready for summer activities.

Let’s take a closer look today at Cold Springs, Fairview and Holly Pond.

Lastly, don’t forget to look for The Times’ 2022 Football Preview Magazine later this year.

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Cold Springs

2021 Record: 0-10 (0-6 in Class 2A, Region 5)

Key Losses: Zeke White, Seth Williams

Key Returners: Victor Laurentius, Hank Harrison, Cody Jewell, Devon Johnson, Josh Winfrey, Tucker Philbeck, Dylan Smith

Coach Speak: “The biggest thing we tried to do this spring was challenge them to be physical. I thought the kids responded really well to that. I thought we had nine really good practices leading into the spring game.” — Brendan Voce (interim) 

“I didn’t think we executed extremely well during the spring game. But everything we did, we did hard. We’re a long way from being a good football team, but the first step to getting there is effort. And the kids gave me effort.” — Brendan Voce (interim) 

“Our summer program is going to be weightlifting. We’re not the biggest, strongest or fastest, so we have to work these next two months at getting bigger, stronger and faster ahead of our first game of the season.” — Brendan Voce (interim)

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2022 Schedule

8/19: Curry

8/26: at Holly Pond

9/2: Sulligent*

9/9: at Lamar County*

9/16: Locust Fork

9/23: at Shoals Christian

9/30: at Winston County*

10/7: at Aliceville*

10/14: Greene County*

10/21: Tuscaloosa Academy*

10/28: BYE

*Class 2A, Region 5 Game

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Fairview

2021 Record: 12-2 (5-1 in Class 5A, Region 7)

Key Losses: Parker Martin, Elijah Guyton, Bryson Chamness, Dalton Payne, Tyler Simmons, Tyde Bagwell, Ethan Bice

Key Returners: Jameson Goble, Eli Frost, Eric Gonzalez, Cale Foster, Zane Roberts, Carson Jennings, Caden Jennings

Coach Speak: “Our numbers were up all the way through our program, which is exciting. We had unbelievable energy coming off last season. It was as good of a first day as I’ve seen. The guys settled in after that and got some good work in. We’ve got some new faces stepping into big roles, and it was a great opportunity to get a look at those guys. We’re also transitioning with some new coaches, so it was good to get a look at that as well.” — George Redding 

“We’ve had a lot of talk about trust and consistency, and that can mean a lot of different things. But I want everyone who walks in to trust each other and do everything for the right reasons and do everything they can to represent our school and program at the highest level possible.” — George Redding

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2022 Schedule

8/19: at Columbia

8/26: Priceville

9/2: East Limestone*

9/9: at Good Hope

9/16: West Point*

9/23: BYE

9/30: at Ardmore*

10/7: Brewer*

10/14: at Lawrence County*

10/21: Russellville*

10/28: at Randolph

*Class 5A, Region 8 Game

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Holly Pond

2021 Record: 3-7 (1-6 in Class 3A, Region 6)

Key Losses: Landon Perkins, Kadin Suryono, Andy Light, Hunter Farr, Anthony Knopp, Isaac Chambers

Key Returners: Christian Couch, Sawyer Olinger, Damian Raymond, Jayden Holloway, Diego Arreguin, Xander Grazer, Dawson Simmons, Nik Goodwin, Zayne Faulkner

Coach Speak: “We probably practiced about five or six times, and I thought they went well. We worked a lot on fundamentals, tackling and blocking. We worked on a few new wrinkles and some foundations we want to establish in our offense. Defensively, we got them lined up and went over responsibilities and gave them new looks. I thought what we did in the spring was good for us. I thought we got quite a bit out of it.” — Mark Cornelius 

“We need dedication from our kids to get in there and get stronger this summer. We made strides in the offseason, but we need to continue to make those strides. Passing game … we don’t throw it a lot, but we want to improve on that as well. I think those are the two things we want to focus on before getting into fall camp.” — Mark Cornelius

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2022 Schedule

8/19: at Clements

8/26: Cold Springs

9/2: Locust Fork*

9/9: at Pleasant Valley*

9/16: Southeastern*

9/23: at Glencoe

9/30: at Gaston*

10/7: at West End*

10/14: BYE

10/21: Cleveland*

10/28: Vinemont

*Class 2A, Region 6 Game