Preseason practices test off-season workouts
Finally, there are no more days to "X" off the calendar.
The first day of high school football practice in the Bay State was officially held on Monday, and pads were popping from Salem to Saugus.
At Beverly High, Panthers head coach Dan Bauer has been buzzing about the first day of practice for a while now.
"You're always excited the first day because it brings in a new year and all the work you've done in the off-season is now coming to new life," said Bauer, who guided Beverly to a 9-1 record last fall.
"You've been working hard all summer and spring and now you get a chance to work for real. Hopefully you've done enough. Everybody nowadays, they work in the off-season and now's a chance to put it all together."
Every program, Bauer said, has a feeling of uncertainty on the first day, too. After all, it's a new year with new players.
"With anything else, there's change; hopefully, everybody's ready to go," Bauer said. "Hopefully, we've done enough preparation where your coaches and your players are ready to go."
Many players hit the practice field for the first time since November. Many others, though, have been doing something -- lifting weights, running -- to prepare over the summer and now can put it all together.
"They put a lot of time in," Bauer said, "as all schools in this area do."
Beverly is to kick off its season Sept. 8 with a home game against Lynn English High, leaving Bauer and his coaching staff 18 practices to work out the kinks.
Bauer said that, for most young players, the preseason is a rapid process with a lot of information to digest, but it's important for coaches to slow it down as much as possible.
"As much as the preseason is short, it's not a sprint. You've got to put things in perspective and go day by day and try to improve each day," he said. "There's lots of teaching that takes place."
Hawkes brings back gold from Parapan Games
Long before she arrived in Rio de Janeiro for the Parapan American Games last week, Sabra Hawkes of Rockport liked her chances in the women's 200-meter run.
Hawkes, who has cerebral palsy, knew that if she ran well, she would earn a spot on the platform at the end of the competition, an offshoot of the Pan American Games for athletes with disabilities.
So, when she came way with the gold medal in her category last Friday with a winning time of 31.26 seconds, the only surprise, she said, was the size of her lead.
"I had no idea I was that far ahead," said the 19-year-old. Hawkes thought a competitor "was right on my tail, so that helped push me through to the finish."
The time was nowhere near her personal best, but, on this day, it was more than enough.
"I did not expect to take that race, but I definitely won't complain," she said.
Hawkes made the most of her trip to Brazil, winning a silver medal in the 100-meter run.
Newhall ready for return as key Northeastern blocker
When the Northeastern University football team kicks off its season Sept. 1 at Northwestern, watch the offensive line.
Kevin Newhall, a former Globe All-Scholastic offensive lineman at Malden High, will be back in the trenches after starting all 11 games at right guard last fall, his first season on the field for Northeastern.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 290-pound Newhall quickly becoming a fixture on an offensive line that helped running back Maurice Murray run for 1,061 yards, the third-best, single-season total in NU history. For his efforts, Newhall was named the team's Rookie of the Year.
Another North Shore talent to keep an eye on is UMass kicker Armando Cuko, a Beverly High standout who was the Minutemen's starting kicker as a freshman, but sustained a groin injury last season that kept him out the entire year. He'll be back on the field competing with senior kicker Chris Koepplin for the starter's spot.
Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@ globe.com. 
