Before they hit the practice field for the first time on Monday, coaches and players from dozens of area high schools gathered Monday to answer questions from reporters during the annual Metro Birmingham High School Football Media Day, held at the Gardendale Civic Center.

It’s the unofficial kickoff to a new season, which begins in earnest with jamboree games on August 19-20, with regular season games the following week.

Here’s a few of the remarks from coaches for Gardendale, Mortimer Jordan, Corner and Fultondale.

GARDENDALE: Coach Chris Fancher

On the new region: “Well it should [get respect], because Minor beat the tar out of Vestavia last year in the playoffs. This region’s not any easier than Region 6, it’s just different. Instead of being ‘over-the-mountain white collar,’ it’s blue collar.”

On the biggest question mark: “Depth is our biggest [question]. We return eight or nine guys that started defensively, and we can put eight or nine that started offensively. The problem is the players behind those players.”

CORNER: Coach Brent Smith

On changes for this year: “We’re changing defenses, going to a 3-4 look. … Last year we had a very good quarterback who probably threw 35 times a game. I don’t see us anywhere in the vicinity of that this year, maybe around 15-20 throws a game.”

On Jared Causey: “Jared kind of goes under everyone’s radar because we’re out in the middle of nowhere and people don;t see him … I’ve seen some good players in my time, and at linebacker, he’s the best I’ve ever had.”

FULTONDALE: Coach Keith Register

On his young lineup: “Very young. We have a possible eighth grader starting at guard, and a lot of ninth graders in the mix. The bulk of our team is sophomores.”

On moving to more passing: “I think we’re going to have to spread it out a bit. I’m not very comfortable with spreading it out, but we’ll see.”

On a new region: “We don’t face anybody that we’ve faced in the past two years. … We have eight straight region games, so it’s important for us to get 1-0 in region play.”

MORTIMER JORDAN: Coach Greg Watts

On a new quarterback: “Orion Recke has emerged [after 7-on-7 in summer] as our starter. He’s a very good athlete, with a lot of athletic potential.”

On offensive scheme: “We’ll run whatever coach [Alan] Pridmore calls. He tends to draw ‘em up in the dirt sometimes.”

On all those sophomores: “…38 of ‘em. But what you have to look at is how many of them will line up for us, and it’s more like two. … Recke will come out of that group.”