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Elgin High School, Bastrop High School and Cedar Creek High School all start football practice this week while Smithville High School and McDade High School enter their second week.
ELGIN WILDCATS
Monday morning marked the first day that 5A and 6A schools were allowed to practice with helmets under UIL rules this week as the Wildcats are ready to make some noise under Elgin head football coach Heath Clawson. Although Elgin and the two Bastrop schools are not allowed to have full-contact practice until Saturday with pads and helmets, the Wildcats will seize the opportunity to prepare for their home scrimmage at 7 p.m. on Aug. 17 as Elgin hosts Canyon Lake High School.
This is a busy week for Elgin athletics as the school will have its Meet The Wildcats event at 6 p.m. on Thursday night at Veterans’ Memorial Park in Downtown Elgin as the 2023 fall sports teams for the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats will be on display. There will be a lot of community activities Thursday evening from 5-7:30 p.m. that are put on by the Elgin Chamber of Commerce, including the back-to-school Stuff the Bus campaign.
BASTROP BEARS
There is plenty to be excited about with Bastrop varsity football with head coach Jake Griedl at the helm as the Bears started practice bright and early this week. Pads and helmets were handed out on Monday, the first full-contact practice is allowed on Aug. 12 and then the Bears will host Austin McCallum High School at 7 p.m. on Aug. 17 for their preseason scrimmage at Bastrop Memorial Stadium.
CEDAR CREEK EAGLES
The Eagles are looking to bounce back from a winless campaign last season and the grind to improve officially started on Monday for the upcoming 2023 season under head coach Joshua Thomas. Cedar Creek will have an away scrimmage at 7 p.m. on Aug. 18 as the Eagles will head down to take on San Antonio Highlands High School under the lights for preseason action at the SAISD Sports Complex.
SMITHVILLE TIGERS
Smithville is gearing up for a promising 2023 campaign under head coach Cyril Adkins as the Tigers will travel at 7:15 p.m. on Aug. 11 to take on Pflugerville Connally High School and host Austin Lyndon B. Johnson High School at 7:15 p.m. on Aug. 17 for its first pair of scrimmages. The Tigers open their regular season at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 25 when Smithville hosts Austin Travis High School for Parents Night.
MCDADE BULLDOGS
Under first-year head coach Nick Parker, the Bulldogs will continue their second week of practice as McDade is ready to take the six-man football season by storm. The Bulldogs will travel up to Memorial Field in Taylor at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning for McDade’s first scrimmage against St. Mary’s Catholic School. McDade opens the 2023 regular season on the road on Aug. 25 away at Menard High School.
