Saturday was the first day that high school football teams in N.C. could initiate contact drills, and the pads were popping at Fuquay-Varina High beginning at 8 a.m. With the season-opening kickoff on August 21 now less than two weeks away, 98 football players were ramping up their preseason work for the reigning Tri-8 conference champs.

The first workouts began a week prior, on August 1, but a lot had to happen long before the athletes could take the field. There were helmets and equipment to order, off season conditioning sessions to supervise, forms to collect and a new practice field to prepare.

Fuquay coach, Ryan Habich said he was pleased with how things came together to get the 2009 preseason off to a good start.

“Our assistant coaches and players volunteer their time for our summer workout program,” he said. “And we had a 95-percent attendance rate during the off season. It’s great for us having the players in shape to start practice. You can’t just show up on August 1st and expect to be able to perform at a high level.”

He said he was pleased with the effort the players put into getting bigger, stronger and faster during the off season.

A summer expansion of on-campus parking at Fuquay-Varina High forced the football team to move to a new practice field at the school. The Bengals now hold workouts on the field to the first-base side of the softball field. In years past, the team practiced in the area between the softball field and Bengals Stadium. Habich said the adjustment is going well as an irrigation system and tents for shade were ready in time for the start of practice.

Probably the most important change taking place this season is the introduction of ImPact testing for Wake County football players. ImPact (Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test) is a test that will help determine when players can safely return to action following concussions. Bengals players took the computer-based tests last week prior to the start of contact drills. The test measures an athlete’s memory and reaction time. If a player suffers a concussion during the season, he can take the test again as he recovers. Athletic trainers can compare the player’s post-injury ImPact score with his pre-season, baseline score to assess recovery. Habich said all junior varsity and varsity players completed the ImPact testing last week. He said it is not the only method to determine if a player is fit to return to play following a head injury, but it will give athletes, trainers, coaches and parents another tool to help ensure health and safety.

Habich likes the atmosphere this preseason. With a lot of last season’s starters graduated, he said there are a lot of jobs up for grab this fall. “This off season and this pre-season, we’ve got a lot of people competing for positions,” he said. “We need players that can play at a high level. Guys have to earn their position.”

This week, practice continues through Thursday, and then the Bengals travel to the SpartanFest Jamboree scrimmage at 6 p.m. this Friday at Smithfield-Selma High.

Southern Durham, Goldsboro, Granville Central, Smithfield-Selma and West Johnston will join Fuquay there. In West Johnston, the Bengals will get a preview of an upcoming opponent. Fuquay hosts the Wildcats in a non-conference game on September 4.