By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

June was a busy month.

For the local high-school sports teams, the summer is an important time as they prepare for their respective seasons.

The urgency is particularly there for the teams that will be playing in the fall, since their time to get ready for the season will be limited when official practice gets under way later this month.

For one week, though, it all comes to a stop.

The Georgia High School has what it labels the “dead week,” and it always takes place the week of July 4th.

During that week, teams aren’t allowed to hold any organized activities.

So no games, no seven-on-sevens, no camps, and no early-morning weight-lifting sessions.

Teams can resume their summer programs on July 10 as the countdown to a new season continues.

When the football teams return from the dead week, the countdown will be growing short.

Official preseason practice begins on July 25, and teams can begin full-contact drills on Aug. 1.

The Troup Tigers headed into the dead week by participating in two seven-on-seven camps, and head coach Tanner Glisson said some time off now isn’t a bad thing.

“You don’t want to burn them out,” Glisson said. “You want them hungry come September, October and November.”

In their final week leading up to the dead week, the Callaway and LaGrange football teams didn’t participate in any camps, but they held their usual morning workouts

After the dead week, the start of the season will be a little more than a month away, and all three teams will also play preseason games.

LaGrange will be on the field on Aug. 4 for a preseason game against Heard County at Callaway Stadium.

Troup will host Harris County on Aug. 10, and Callaway will play Northside-Columbus on Aug. 11 in Hogansville.

The regular season begins on Aug. 17 with Troup hosting Hardaway, and LaGrange and Callaway play on Aug. 18.

The season is also drawing closer for the other teams that play during the fall.

Practice for cross country, volleyball, and cheerleading will begin on Aug. 1, and the seasons for those sports will begin soon after.