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Hughes, who played running back last season for the Vipers, is now the starting quarterback and in charge of a fast-paced system.
“It was great,” said Hughes of the first day. “We were out there learning and having a lot of fun. We picked up the pace and really got after it. I have to learn a lot, but we’re off to a good start.”
The Vipers are moving to a no-huddle offense this season and got right into it on the first day. After running through their offensive plays, Memorial retreated to the field house to review.
“It’s a good thing we watch film because we have a lot of learning to do,” said Memorial offensive coordinator Kyle Taylor. “We’re going to be in the no-huddle this year, so everyone is going to have to learn quickly. It’s going to put a lot pressure on defenses.”
The transition will put pressure on opposing team’s defenses, but will also require Memorial to be sharp and knowledgable at all times.
“It’s a complicated deal and it will take some time,” said Memorial head coach Mickey Finley of the offense. “We have three weeks to get ready for our first ball game. We have four days now with no pads, so we’ll be throwing a lot of stuff at them during that time. When we get the pads on we’re going to have to get real busy on blocking and tackling.”
Running a no-huddle offense will also require the Vipers to step up their conditioning.
“The kids are not in the shape we need them to be in,” said Finley who is entering his second season with the Vipers. “But I don’t know if we ever have been where I want them to be on the first day. We have a long way to go. The pace we’re going, they are going to have to get in better shape.”
Memorial ran through its offensive plays at the end of practice, and went over plays and blocking responsibilities. While Hughes will be a focus throughout the season, he saw his linemen as being the surprise of the first workout.
“Our linemen are in better shape than I thought they would be,” Hughes said. “They are stepping up. They aren’t dragging. They get to the line really fast and are showing a lot of hustle.”
Taylor said he could also see the need for more conditioning, but agreed with Hughes’ assessment on the development of the offensive line.
“Physically we are just so much bigger and stronger than we were last year on the offensive line,” Taylor said. “Our kids did a great job in the spring and in the summer to get ready.”
While a new offense is always exciting to talk about, Finley said the defense came out strong.
“They are way ahead of the offense right now which we always expect,” Finley said. “There’s not much to change over there, and they got after it.”
“I think the defense came out strong and looked good,” said senior cornerback/running back Quinton Porter. “We mainly worked on our main coverage so it was easy to get back in. We’ll need to get better but we did a good job. I’m ready for the first game.”
The Vipers shift practices to 4-8 p.m. today through Friday and then will practice on Saturday to complete the first week. Memorial opens the season on Aug. 29 at home against San Antonio Taft.
“Everyone was real excited and ready to get the bad taste out of their mouths from last year,” Finley said. “We want to try to do something special this year. Every came ready to go. We’ll work on the same thing the rest of the week and really work on our conditioning. We’ll get in better shape.”