By Clint Crawford
Published on August 14, 2008

Baseball gloves and batting helmets were exchanged for cleats and shoulder pads as the dog days of summer gave way Tuesday to the first hint of fall — football.

Mustang Broncos Head Coach Ty Prestidge said about 80 players in 10th- through 12th-grades as well as 60 freshman were expected to take part in practices this week.

The Broncos will spend the first three days in shorts and helmets due to high school football rules and regulations. The athletes will spend those days getting used to the demands of practice, and team members will go over what they learned in the spring.

“We will also use the first three days to get the players acclimated to the heat,” Prestidge said.

On Friday, the players will suit up in full pads and start hitting each other. The players will get used to the pads and prepare for the annual Red vs. White intra-squad scrimmage at 6 p.m. Saturday at Broncos Stadium.

The scrimmage will begin the process of whittling down the depth chart and taking the rust off team’s play execution.

Bronco players have spent the last three months taking part in the team’s summer program — a conditioning and weightlifting regime that Prestidge stresses.

When they take the field, the Broncos are expected to continue to run the no-huddle offense that is similar to a two-minute drill. It is a scheme heavily influenced by the offense run at Texas Tech University. Mustang may be known as a pass first — run second team, but Prestidge said they will adapt to the defense they are facing.

“We like to spread out the field so we can run or pass,” he said. “We want to be more balanced in the big ball games.”

The Broncos will run that spread offense behind the arm of senior quarterback Kyle Webster. Webster is coming off a year where he took over the job midway through last season. Webster threw twice as many touchdowns as interceptions last year (10 to 5). Webster also has the speed to pull the ball down and take off if needed, Prestidge said.

Joining Webster in the backfield will be senior running back Hunter Smith who averaged 6.6 yards per carry last season. He is also a threat out of the backfield, leading the team in receiving yards last season. Smith was also named Most Valuable Player at Tulsa Team Camp this summer.

“Hunter will be playing both sides of the ball, so tailback Ben Green will see a significant amount of playing time,” Prestidge said.

The Broncos barely slipped into the playoffs last season with a losing record, after getting off to a slow start. The Broncos managed to turn the ball over 10 times in the first six quarters.

“We had a lot of silly turnovers last season and if we cut down on them this year, we have the potential to be a very competitive football team,” Prestidge said.