Bulloch County high school football teams officially wrap up their summer practice schedules this week as schools begin next week. For the Bulloch Academy Gators, it has been a busy summer with plenty of seven-on-seven scrimmages and padded camps. 

As coach Aaron Phillips embarks on his second season as Bulloch Academy head coach, he feels last summer was still a getting to know you period, while this summer the Gators have been able to spend more time tweaking a few things and working on areas in which they struggled a bit last season. 

“The summer has gone really well and been productive for us,” Phillips said. “We have had at least 17 players who have not missed a single summer workout. We have about 40 on the team so that is roughly half of our team. I think that shows a lot of dedication, and we have had plenty of others who have only missed a couple of days. We have really seen great strides in just the little things that make so much difference.” 

Last season Phillips had a couple coaches who weren’t even on campus until just before the season started. He says that is just one example where they are far ahead of where they were last season at this time. 

“We had a group of guys last year who were on their third coach in four years,” Phillips said. “I think they all see us returning this year and there is a little more trust. We are now seeing some of the fruits of our labor.” 

Last summer Phillips and his staff were preoccupied with getting to know the players and install their offense and defense. This summer they have tried to do more with other teams. 

“This week will be the seventh time this year we have worked with another team,” Phillips said. “That was one of the things we were trying to emphasize this summer. Being able to get our guys out there competing each week has been great for us and we have really seen the difference it has made. We played six games a couple of weeks ago in Warrenton and we won five and tied one. We are proud of how hard our guys have worked and the progress they’ve made.” 

The Gators have two scrimmages before kicking off the season Aug 18 at Tiftarea. The Gators started the 2022 season with a 3-2 record, but proceeded to lose their last five games, three of which were decided in the fourth quarter. Phillips is optimistic the Gators can turn things around quickly despite still playing in a tough region. 

“The biggest complement you can get is when other coaches comment on how much bigger your players look and progress they have seen,” Phillips said. We have gotten that a lot this summer from the coaches that have seen us at camps. Our coaches also feel we are so much further along than we were at this time last year. I don’t feel like there is a game on our schedule this year that we shouldn’t either be favored in have a good chance of winning. Frederica and Pinewood have some really good players, but I don’t think the margin is very far, if at all. Injuries can play a huge roll, but if we can remain healthy, I like our chances.”