MOKANE, Mo. - As far as South Callaway head football coach Zack Hess is concerned, down time during a season's critical infancy is a detriment his Bulldogs can't afford.
Hess - entering his third year at the South Callaway helm - welcomed 32 players for the beginning of fall practice late Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs' emphasis is to work efficiently since they have a little more than two weeks before they launch the 2017 season against Father Tolton in Columbia on Aug. 18.
"That was the message (Monday) after practice - 'Guys, if you look at the calendar, there's no time to waste,'" Hess said Tuesday afternoon. "Every rep in practice, every session in practice, every drill that you do every practice, every day, is so important.
"We can't waste any time, for sure."
Hess noted that fall workouts should be a continuation of necessary summer development for his roster.
"The thing that we say as coaches all the time is the worst thing we could have happen is we don't see a kid from the last day of school until the first day of school," Hess said. "We have to have them over the summer and they have to be willing to put in that time on their own."
South Callaway's baseball team won a Class 3 state championship on June 1, and a number of Hess' football players had instrumental roles in that success. Hess gave his squad a respite and opted to push back the Bulldogs' involvement in football camps until later in the summer.
South Callaway held its own team camp in mid-July, followed by a trip to Bolivar in the southwest part of the state to attend a camp hosted by NCAA Division II Southwest Baptist University.
"It was a good experience - I think there were eight teams there and we were, by far, the smallest team," Hess said. "All of our guys got a lot of reps and we played quality opponents.
" It (summer work) really sets the tone for your season. The more guys that you have consistently showing up every day, it makes a huge difference."
Monday's first practice commenced with about an hour's worth of meetings, followed by a brief weightlifting session and then a workout on the Bulldogs' FieldTurf surface.
"The kids are excited - there's a positive energy and the coaches are excited," Hess said. "Everybody's just ready to go, but at the same time, everybody understands that it's a marathon and not a sprint.
"We're going to, I'm not going to say take it slow, but we're going to progress into it."
One early concern for Hess is the sparse roster numbers. He would like to see that total surpass 40 players as the Bulldogs head into the season.
"We've got a little bit of time to do it, but at the same time, we need to get those guys in as soon as possible," Hess said.
South Callaway is coming off a 10-1 finish in 2016 that ended in a disappointing 26-20 home loss to Hermann in the Class 2, District 5 semifinals. With a skilled set of upperclassmen returning to direct the Bulldogs, Hess and his team are entertaining lofty expectations again.
"That's part of the excitement, the success we had last year and the seniors that we have coming back this year," Hess said. "At the same time, every year is different, every season is different, and there's still pieces to the puzzle that we're trying to figure out."
Notes: The Bulldogs will practice in shoulder pads Thursday and Friday, followed by full pads on Saturday, before completing the day with an intrasquad scrimmage from 6-8:30 p.m. South Callaway will host jamboree scrimmages with Hermann and Montgomery County at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11.