Edisto head football coach Andy Palmer has had July 31 circled on his calendar for quite a while now.

Since their playoff loss to Bishop England, he and his Cougars have been looking forward to getting back on the field and improving their team. In a matter of hours, they will get started as Edisto kicks off the high school football season with “Midnight Madness” at the Cougar Den. All South Carolina High School League teams can begin practicing Friday.

“We’ve had 64 workouts this summer,” Palmer said. “It’s all about getting ready for what will eventually happen tomorrow night at midnight and going from there.”

Similar to last year, the Cougars will meet at the school Thursday and be on the field at 12:01 a.m. Friday to prepare for their Week Zero showdown against Bamberg-Ehrhardt. With that in mind, Palmer wants his team to hit the ground running.

“At midnight, we’ll get out there and run around and sweat a lot and get some running in,” Palmer said. “We’re going to be in shorts and T-shirts and helmets for three days. There’s not a whole lot you can do in shorts, T-shirts and helmets.”

The S.C. High School League prohibits players from practicing in full gear until August 4. Nevertheless, the days leading up to that point will be equally important.

“It’ll be more of getting (the players) acclimated and checking and conditioning,” Palmer said. “Most of them are in pretty good shape right now. Offensively, defensively and with special teams, we’ll do a whole lot of teaching and making sure that we’re ready to go on Tuesday when we put the pads on.”

The midnight practice is the first of several for the Cougars as they hold camp until Saturday. During their time in camp, the players will take part in three practices on Friday and two practices on Saturday.

Other teams in the T&D region will be getting early starts on Friday morning as well. Walter Wilson and his Calhoun County team will get started at 6 a.m. About 10 miles away, Tommy Brown and the Orangeburg-Wilkinson Bruins will hold practice at 6:45 a.m. Bamberg-Ehrhardt and Denmark-Olar will start their season at 8 a.m.

Names in the game

With practice beginning and the season merely three weeks away, here are a few names in the T&D region to keep an eye on.

A.J. Cann (6-3, 260, Bamberg-Ehrhardt) - This South Carolina commit will be headed to the Under Armour All-America game after grading out at 92 percent with 40 pancake blocks last season. He’ll have to lead the Red Raiders offensive line in order for their running game to be successful.

Justin Henderson (6-3, 238, Bamberg-Ehrhardt) - After tallying 65 tackles and 10 sacks in 2008, can the Red Raiders defensive end improve on that performance before heading to the Bluegrass to play for the Kentucky Wildcats?

Brandon Golson (6-2, 205, Calhoun County) - The Saints defensive end proved to be a menace in the opposing backfield recording 18 sacks in just six games. Can the South Carolina commit continue to deliver for his team?

Eric Mack (6-4, 315, Calhoun County) - Another Under Armour All-American from the T&D region, Mack is arguably one of the strongest and more agile linemen in the nation.

Kendrick Frazier (6-1, 241, Denmark-Olar) - With a time of 4.49 in the 40-yard dash at the Shrine Bowl combine, Frazier’s speed and ability to disrupt offenses could be the key to the Vikings’ success.

Chris Carter (Coach, Lake Marion) - The past two years haven’t been easy on the eyes of Gator fans. With only three wins in the last two years, will Carter be able to turn Gator Nation into a contender?

T&D Sports Writer Emery Glover can be reached by e-mail at eglover@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Check out his blog, Cover 2, at www.thetandd.com.

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