At 1:04 a.m. this morning, the Kell High School football team got to hit in full pads for the first time in the 2011 season.

The kids were excited, since they’ve only been in helmets this summer with no contact. The coaches were excited too, as was apparent with Longhorns head coach Derek Cook as he counted down the minutes from stretching and drills to the first hits of the season.

“This is more about us getting out here and getting after it more than it is getting caught up in worrying about everyone else,” said Cook about whether the midnight practice was to get ahead of the competition or if it was just to build excitement.

Georgia High School Association rules state that padded practices for the football team can’t begin in the state until August 1. Kell decided to get a jump on the season, planning a Midnight Madness practice at the first possible moment rules would allow.

“It was situation where we wanted to create excitement around the first day we could put on full pads, go full speed and hit each other, because all summer it's lifting weights and running and 7-on-7,” said Cook. “One-hand, two-hand touch, and they get tired of that. We wanted to create the atmosphere of 'we can't wait another minute to go full speed, to go live.' So we're going to go at 12:01 a.m. the first time we can go.”

Players began lining up a few minutes before midnight and waited for the clock to strike 12:00. When it did, whistles blew and stretching began. The 2011 Kell football season had arrived.

Throughout the summer the Kell coaching staff has been able to look over their roster and determine strengths and weaknesses, but today was the first time they’ve been able to see it in full speed.

“We're going to be very athletic, we have a lot of skilled guys at receiver, secondary, linebackers, and we're in pretty good shape on the defensive line,” said Cook. “Questions marks are offensive line and just youth at quarterback. I don't know if we're going to start a senior or a sophomore.”

The offensive line questions were apparent early and often as plays had to be re-started frequently because of errant snaps. “Offensive line is the biggest question mark because we graduated all five starters. We have no experience in a position where you need some toughness and some ‘War Daddies’ really,” said Cook.

Cook and his staff will have to sift through the possibilities on that offensive line, and there are definitely possibilities to play your way into the starting lineup, said Cook. The unit is young with more juniors than seniors, and a bunch of very big sophomores who the coaching staff thinks will just get bigger, and better.

Cook also admitted to a quarterback controversy in camp. There are two main options with a third scenario in Oren Davis, just in case. Davis is already the starting wide receiver and will likely catch passes, not throw them this season if all works out for Kell.

The two competitors at quarterback are sophomore Kendall Crute and senior Clay Dodson, neither of which has ever taken a snap in a varsity football game.

“Crute right now has been kind of asserting himself,” said Cook. “He's a 6-3 kid who can run, he's very athletic and can throw the ball pretty well. He's a smart kid."

"Dodson's a kid that's been in the program for three years, he's got a very strong arm and has got some positives about him. So, it's still up in the air. Crute's got the slight edge at this time.”

Cook, said his staff, only has 16 practices to make all the necessary decisions, and make preparations for the season. On Aug. 20 Kell plays Grayson High School at the Georgia Dome to kick off the 2011 season.