Excitement wasn't the only thing Little Rock Parkview Coach Brad Bolding felt in the air Monday when he and his players took the field for the start of high school football practices.
"Oh man, the cooler temperatures," the Patriots' fifth-year coach said. "It's a blessing. I think the heat dropping down really helped a lot. Now the rain didn't help us out any from the standpoint of the ball getting wet and things like that.
"But it's football. I'm happy for all the kids in the state right now, especially on a day like today."
After last week when temperatures hovered around 100 degrees on a daily basis, it remained in the 80s throughout Monday for most of the state. Some areas received rain earlier in the morning, which also contributed to cooler readings.
The change in temperature was about the only thing abnormal about a day that's become a de facto holiday for supporters of high school football in Arkansas.
"The kids were excited and ready to roll," said Des Arc Coach B.J. Paschal, who had 26 senior high players practicing after the Eagles went 13-1 and finished as the Class 2A runner-up a year ago. "They're ready to play football, and they know it's just around the corner. The weather [Monday] really made it nice to get out there and not be in 100% humidity at 8 o'clock in the morning. Everything was really good."
The season won't get underway until Aug. 26, but after last year was marred by the coronavirus pandemic, the notion that a return to regularity is possible has shifted enthusiasm into overdrive.
"I mean last year, we did all of our summer workouts in three groups," Jonesboro Coach Randy Coleman said. "We practiced [junior varsity] at one time and varsity later. Now we're all together. The young kids like it a whole lot because they feel like they're more a part of everything now. Things definitely felt more normal, especially for them."
There was certainly a sense of normalcy on Parkview's practice field as Bolding watched his players work out in helmets in preparation for a year that's expected to be much different than the previous one.
The 2020 season was in peril for most of the summer because of health and safety concerns surrounding covid-19. There were no spring football sessions, team camps or 7-on-7 events held around the state. The Arkansas Activities Association eventually gave schools the go-ahead to play as long as suggested guidelines the organization implemented were followed.
While the expectation is that AAA will again issue a set of directives for this season, especially with covid-19 numbers tracking upward in the state, the possibility that those stipulations won't be as strict exists.
The fact that activities such as 7-on-7 football were held gives Bolding and other coaches a reason to believe better days are ahead.
"Last year, I think after [players] left, we didn't see them, other than in Zoom meetings and stuff, until June 1," said Bolding, who has 70 varsity and 40 junior high players on his roster. "We had to do a lot of catch up, but everybody was on the same playing field all over the state because we all had to deal with it.
"This year, we're much farther along because of the team camps during the summer. We've got our offensive line back, our skill guys back. We feel pretty good about where we are at this point."
The participation totals have been impressive for the Patriots, who went 8-2 and advanced to the Class 6A quarterfinals in 2020. Bolding said he and his staff have been forced to double-up lockers between their players because interest in Patriots' football is so high.
He admits it's a good problem to have, but they're quickly running out of space in terms of having the necessary essentials.
"We don't have any shoulder pads left, and I think we have three or four helmets," he said. "I think it's the best that they've ever had here, as far as numbers go. In this decade, anyway."
Numbers have been equally positive for Jonesboro. Coleman said 99 kids came out for the Hurricane, who were 6-4 last season.
That tally was especially encouraging since Jonesboro is making the jump to Class 7A for the 2022 and 2023 football seasons.
"We've grown the last few years," Coleman noted. "What's crazy is our junior class is really small. Now next year, we may dip a little bit. But after that, we may have some really good classes coming up."