NEDERLAND — The co-District 22-5A champions were on the practice field Monday morning in preparation of the 2015 season.
Nederland shared the 2014 title with the Beaumont Central Jaguars and started work at 8 a.m. Monday.
The Bulldogs started practice the way a game starts, working on kickoff drills.
Coach Larry Neumann, who starts his 23rd season at Nederland, said the feelings are still the same inside him watching his team practice for the first time in 2015.
“I didn’t sleep much last night,” Neumann said. “It’s amazing. I have done this for 42 years and I always have the same issues before the first day. That first day back you have anxiety about it all and you are anxious. I sleep an hour wake up and sleep an hour and wake up. It’s good to see them all and we are getting off to a good start.”
Neumann said he expected to sleep better Monday night.
“Kickoff is what we stress early on,” Neumann said. “That is first thing we started with today and we will get into the body of our defense and offense right away.
“In shorts the first four days, we mainly get into the tempo of practice. We want to transition well between drills and have a sense of urgency with the way we practice. They have it already. Football starts Friday when you put the pads on. That is when you start to define your team and you don’t get a true picture until you play somebody wearing a different color.”
Nederland opens the season at home against Crosby on Aug. 28.