Roper uses a different approach to summer workouts

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Jason Roper has been a patient man the past month or so, but now he expects more from his Harrisburg High School football prospects.

A large group of athletes have been spending their summers working out with the basketball team or playing baseball here and yonder.

But now, the third-year Bulldogs coach is wanting to circle the wagons, so to speak, as the preseason approaches.

Rather than use the alloted 25 contact days in football, Roper shared the wealth the other sports, allowing all of HHS's multi-sport athletes to get their work in.

"This is the first time we've gone this late without workouts," said Roper, who held a two-day position camp this week. "We have a lot of three-sport athletes, with football, baseball and basketball.

"We let them (play baseball and basketball) in June, but now we're getting ready to start."

Roper gets things underway Monday with the freshman football camp, followed up the next week with the varsity team camp.

Harrisburg's first two oppnents, Mount Carmel and Du Quoin, are surely getting in most of the contact days allowed by the Illinois High School Association. That doesn't seem to faze Roper, who says his athletes aren't exactly lying around.

"You might say we're behind schedule in terms of football workouts with those schools," Roper said, "but I like to look at things with the three-sport athlete."

Roper expects a strong turnout for the team camps.

"We've had 35 juniors and seniors, we expect about 40 freshmen and all told about 120 in the program," Roper said. "That would be tremendous."

HHS, 3-6 a year ago, has a lot of experience coming back, particularly on offense.

Roper tabs Zach Price and Austin Beere as the team's top offensive linemen.

"Both did a nice job this winter getting into shape," Roper said.

Noah Frymire, Russell Rambert, Kody Owen and B.J. Davis are Roper's top skill people, and all are seniors.

But the big question mark lies in senior Christian Cummins,who quarterbacked the team last fall. Cummins is leaning toward holding out of football to concentrate on baseball, where he is almost assured of attaining a Division I scholarship.

"Christian is a great athlete," Roper said. "He's thinking about just playing baseball, but I know trough talking to the kids, I know his teammates would like to have him out here. And the coaches would love to have him out here, too."

Still, precious days remain, and Roper and his staff have to move on in terms of monitoring the quarterback competition.

Juniors Reid Roper and Noah King, also baseball standouts, are in the hunt for the signal-calling duties.

"Both King and Reid played defense as sophomore," Roper said. "As far as Christian is concerned, we could use him as a defensive back or wide receiver. You hate to lose an athlete like that, but we have a couple kids who can step in and do the job."

Roper will learn a bit more about his team as the camps unfold.

"Having not met with the players before this week, there's a lot westill have to find out," Roper said. "But our linemen have been in the weight room and they have been running. The two-day camp was for trying to get all the drills in practice in, so when we get to team camp the kids will have an idea of what we're doing."

HHS opens the season Aug. 29 at home with Mount Carmel.