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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The Callaway Cavaliers have developed a well-established summer routine over the years under head coach Pete Wiggins.

That summer schedule was interrupted last year as schools across the country dealt with the restrictions put in place because of COVID-19.

This year, the Cavaliers are enjoying having everything back to normal as they get their summer program underway.

Callaway began its summer schedule last week after the first of two Georgia High School Association-mandated dead weeks.

The first dead week was the week of Memorial Day, and the next dead week will be the week of July 4th.

There has only been a July 4th dead week in previous years, but the GHSA added a second one this year.

“It’s been great to be back to normal, even with the extra dead week,” said Wiggins, who led the Cavaliers to their first state championship last season. “I think the kids needed that. The kids needed to be away from school, and get some rest time with their family, but it’s been great to be back to the grind in the weight room, and doing our agilities, and get back on the field for practice.”

The foundation of Callaway’s summer program are the daily workouts at the school.

Also, the players attend individual camps, and the team will also participate in seven-on-seven competitions as well as padded camps.

Last week, Callaway competed in two seven-on-seven tournaments, including one at the University of Georgia, and one in LaGrange that was hosted by LaGrange College head coach Earl Chambers.

“It’s been a great week,” Wiggins said on Thursday after his team went 4-1 in the LaGrange College tournament. “The weight room has been intense. We’ve gotten good reps on the field after out weight workout. I feel like the energy’s high. We’ve got a long way to go to get where we need to be, but you can’t ask for any better effort from the kids right now. Their attitude is positive. They want to excel. So, we’ve been really pleased to this point.”

Callaway will continue its summer program until July 27 when official preseason practice gets underway.

Following a week of acclimation, teams can begin holding full-contact practices on Aug. 1.

Callaway will open its season on Aug. 20 at Opelika.