CHEROKEE COUNTY — Fans will get sneak previews of the fall high school football season in the next few weeks as teams take to the gridiron. But even the most fanatical fans know better than to get too excited about what they will see. Or, not see.

Every coach enters the game looking for a nugget or two that could become the springboard to a successful fall campaign.

From coach to coach the theme remained the same: Players have a personal responsibility to prepare for the fall, meaning they can't just show up the first day of school and expect to win football games.

Sand Rock's Russell Jacoway voiced a familiar refrain.

“Conditioning, spring practices, and this game go a long way in identifying leaders,” Jacoway said.

After winning back-to-back 1A Region championships Collinsville's Alan Beckett has a lot of gaps to fill.

“Losing so many, we have to make sure what scheme best fits us,” Beckett said. “Within that plan, we want players to leave spring with a grasp of the terminology.”

Beckett said this year's Panthers team will feature about a dozen first-year players.

“We want to see which players can have an immediate impact and which ones need a year of maturation,” he said. “We want players to leave with a sense of the work ethic it will take to be competitive.”

At another Panther compound, players will be adjusting to a familiar face. Jason Howard returns to prowl the Spring Garden sidelines. Howard donned the maroon and gold in April.

Like Howard, Nathan Wehunt hasn't had much time to prepare his troops for their jamboree. The former Cherokee County assistant will be stepping into Howard's old shoes on the Creek Bank. Wehunt's first gig as a head coach opens on a large stage, at Burgess-Snow Field on the campus of Jacksonville State University.

“It will definitely be a big environment for a spring game,” Wehunt said. “I'm thrilled to be the head coach of the Ohatchee Indians and can't wait to take the field at JSU next Thursday.”

Here's the complete list of spring games for teams in The Post coverage area: Gaylesville and Spring Garden at Valley Head, May 17 at 6 p.m.; Collinsville with Fyffe and Crossville at Geraldine, May 17 at 7 p.m.; Scottsboro at Cherokee County, May 18 at 7 p.m.; Gaston at Odenville, May 18 at 7 p.m.; Sand Rock at West End, May 24 at 6 p.m.; and Cedar Bluff vs. Douglas at Cherokee County, May 25 at 6 p.m.