The 2016 GS football season is getting closer and the Eagles are wrapping up spring practices and getting ready for summer training and the upcoming season.

Head coach Tyson Summers shared how the team’s progression has been with the last few practices and what he thinks the team needs to work on over summer to help prepare for the fall season.

“I think we have had two good days this week,” Summers said. ” It gives us the opportunity to go in and watch the tape and make some decisions on some things that we’re doing offensively and defensively and come back in and clean some things up. That was the idea of trying to have the spring game a little bit early, so we could pick up another three or four practices.”

The Eagles had their Blue-White game on April 16, which saw lots of energy and aggressiveness on the defensive side of the ball. One thing Summers has pointed out is that he is still looking for leaders on both sides of the ball that can rally their teammates when things don’t go their way.

“As a unit we’re getting better every day. It took us about ten practices to get into what we’re supposed to do. Our guys have to step up and I think I have to step up as a leader too. We want to win every single game we can. We want to try to make it to the big bowl game,” senior offensive lineman Andy Kwon said.

The team has also proactively worked on coming together and building relationships on and off the field.

“Besides the football part, we want to become closer to each other every day as a family and just work with each other. Coach Summers emphasizes on how teams he won with were teams that were close to each other,” Kwon said. 

The players have adapted to the new staff in the short time they’ve had on the field, and are looking to build off that in the summer.

“Anytime you get change it’s a little bit difficult, but I think we have come along way since day one. I’ve seen a lot of progress in the team. As a team our goals are to be undefeated and go to the bowl game at the end of the year,” junior linebacker Chris DeLaRosa said.

They will wrap up the spring with a few more practices to help clean things up before the semester ends. They’ll participate in workouts this summer on the field and in the weight room.

“We have to get more defined into what are assignments are and right now we put in a good bit on offense and defense. The biggest thing was that they came out the first week and I think that they had a lot of anxiety with the new staff and the new practices. I think that they were extremely anxious when we started. Now I think that a lot of those things have become second nature to them,” Summers said.

The team opens the 2016 season on Sept. 3, when they host Savannah State at Paulson Stadium.