Lady Hounds officially begin practice at Midnight Madness
Teams from multiple fall sports across the state officially began practice on Monday. The Lady Greyhounds softball team was among the first to do so very early on Monday morning.
Monday was the first day that teams are allowed to practice by the GHSA, and the Lady Hounds once again followed a tradition that head coach Tripp Burt estimates goes back to 2015 in holding their annual midnight madness event to kickoff practice.
“It’s easier for us to get them here as opposed to sports like football; it’s a chance to get them here early and get excited for the season and get things rolling,” Burt said.
Taking place starting at 12:01 a.m., it includes the Lady Hounds gathering for team building activities, revealing the team’s theme for the season and setting the plan for the week ahead.
The week ahead is filled with urgency for Jones County as there’s little time to relax following this week’s first day of school this past Tuesday.
“Summer is over, and school is about to start. This is kind of our kickoff,” Burt said. “This is kind of our official start; it’s time to get going.”
JCHS scrimmages at Mary Persons on Thursday and opens the season next Tuesday at Pike County. That will begin a six-game road stretch to begin the season with games on Aug. 8, 9 and 10 at Houston County, Dodge County and Locust Grove. The home opener will be Aug. 22 against Ola in a rematch of last year’s region title game.
