Official practice began Monday for AHSAA football, but Thursday is the day everyone is waiting for — full pads.

“You want to see what your weight program and your strength and conditioning program has done over the summer,” Chelsea head coach Wade Waldrop said. “You get to really see that on Thursday when they start knocking each other around.”

Teams have practiced the past three days in shorts and helmets, something Waldrop said some of his players have done more than 20 times this summer.

Most of the teams are working on installing their offense and defense this week.

“Our goal is to get all of our schemes in, and then we’ll start going back and working it week after week,” Montevallo head coach Jim King said.

Others, like 2A school Vincent, are focused on conditioning the first few days and will start installing its new no-huddle offense later in the week.

“Everybody’s upbeat right now as far as getting ready to go, but of course the heat may take that out of them,” Vincent head coach Dwight Spradley said.

Briarwood head coach Fred Yancey is hoping to find out what his team will be like this year.

“When you think of a veteran, experienced team, you think of last year’s team, but when you think about a young, inexperienced team, you think of this year’s team,” Yancey said. “There’s no way of knowing whether we’re good or not until much later.”

Opening night for the 2008 season is Friday, Aug. 29.