Presenting: the preseason. Ridgewood.

By DAVID MURPHY
Published August 15, 2007

Every day leading up to football season, we'll drop by each school in Hernando and Pasco counties and take a look at an area team's preparations for the fall. Log on to the Times' high school sports blog at blogs.tampabay.com/preps for daily updates and audio reports on North Suncoast sports. Online today, listen to Times staff writers Izzy Gould and David Murphy discuss Ridgewood and Nature Coast prospects for the 2007 season at blogs.tampabay.com/preps.

The setting: A square expanse of grass tucked behind Marchman Tech.

The date: Friday

The time: 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

The temperature: 93 degrees, 345 percent humidity.

The atmosphere: A little sluggish. Ridgewood coach Chris Taylor asked us to term the practice "soft," so that other teams might underestimate the Rams. But we won't go that far. Ridgewood still looks impressive, but the hangover from the first day of hitting was noticeable. "Sorry you had to show up for this one," Taylor said.

The routine: The Rams run their own version of two-a-days, practicing for two 21/2-hour sessions, separated by a 50-minute break. They don't spend a ton of time in full-team periods, choosing instead to work on plays in shorter, more specialized sessions. "It's like school," Taylor said. "You can't learn 10 times 10 until you know 2 times 2."

Preseason star: The coaching staff says it's Byronell Arline. After rushing for a school-record 1,717 yards as a junior, the monster running back reported to camp in the best shape of his life - and, according to Taylor, with an extra spring in his step.

Preseason surprise: What's in a name? Apparently, not much. Wide receiver Adidas Tolliver was spotted wearing Nike shoes. But whatever his footwear, the senior wide receiver appears poised to contribute this season. Coaches say he runs a 4.42 40-yard dash.

Three things we thought

1. The Rams are huge. From the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Arline, to 6-foot-3, 300-pound tackle John Kerakaris, to 5-foot-10, 233-pound fullback/linebacker Ben Perry, it's hard to imagine a bigger team on the North Suncoast.

2. The future looks bright. Well, it did for one day, anyway. The Ridgewood junior varsity front eight had an impressive performance against the varsity offense in Oklahomas.

3. Are there alligators in the fenced-off patch of swamp land that borders the practice field?

David Murphy, Times staff writer

[Last modified August 14, 2007, 22:49:39]