Hopefully this heat wave will have passed on through by this morning and everyone is out practicing in more football-like cooler weather.

Yeah, maybe in Alaska.

Not in the Miss-Lou, where blistering heat and stifling humidity will await players from MPSA schools as they open two-a-days workouts this morning to officially kick off the 2005 season. Private schools are the first among preps to get started with football with public schools to follow next week, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Not for longtime head coach Bobby Marks, who is coming out of retirement to coach Adams Christian this fall.

&uot;When I retired 13 years ago, it was just this hot,&uot; said Marks, who will have the benefit of a golf cart this fall thanks to the school and its supporters. &uot;I forgot how hot it was, and then when I went there I remembered &045; ‘Now I know why I retired.’

&uot;Back when I played football &045; which was all the way back in Abe Lincoln’s day &045; it wasn’t as hot. But we started later and got through later. They’ve started earlier every year. Right now you freeze to death in baseball and burn up in football. But I’m looking forward to it.&uot;

Two-a-day workouts will start early in the morning for most folks today with another session slated in the evening when it’s cooler. The Rebels will start from 8 to 10 a.m. and later from 4 to 6 p.m., while Trinity Episcopal will go from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. in the afternoon.

Huntington &045; with first-year head coach Chad Harkins &045; will go from 8 to 10 a.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

Teams can practice only in helmets and shorts &045; shoulders pads must be worn for sled work only &045; before going in shoulder pads only Thursday and Friday and full pads Saturday.

It’s a welcome back to coaching for Marks, who will get the chance to coach games in a stadium that bears his name.

&uot;If I had two real good legs, I’d really be looking forward to it,&uot; Marks said. &uot;It’s going to be hard to stand up for 2 1/2 hours. I don’t know if it was out of respect or they were thinking I was going to die, but the kids didn’t say anything. (Headmaster) Mr. (John) Gray said, ‘They respect you.’ It’s been kind of fun on that side of it.

&uot;I believe they do have a lot of respect for me. It’s probably their age. The state championship team we had, I had to tell them to sit down and shut up.&uot;

Today’s workouts will allow Marks and his staff to put in place a different offensive set than the team ran the last couple of years. The coach said he’ll make some moves on that side of the ball &045; one that lost nine starters from last year &045; with David New and Tell Faulkner moving to the backfield.

Timmy Foster has spent most of his summer playing baseball, but he did attend the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana. Running back Cole Bradford may miss most of the season with a foot injury.

&uot;Putting a new system in, you’ve got to get that in and they’ve got to learn quickly,&uot; Marks said. &uot;It takes a while. I didn’t change a thing &045; I don’t know anything else. We’ll do the same stuff I’ve been doing for 40 years. We’ve got to rebuild the offensive line.&uot;

It’s also a new system at Huntington with Harkins, who totes his double-wing, double-tight set with him after a three-year stint at Block. Hired earlier this summer, Harkins has spent nearly every day since with the players working out in the weight room and installing the new offense.

The new coach said he expects 28 players out today from grades 9 through 12.

&uot;I’ve been up there every day with them for the last 3 1/2 weeks,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;I’m anxious to get out there and ready to see where we’re at. They’re wide-eyed and ready to work.

They’re very attentive and want to know what I’m teaching.&uot;

Harkins has spent minimal time on the board explaining the offense, which helped the Bears be successful in the 1A ranks with their size up front. The Hounds may be big for a Class A school this fall, and Hunter Norwood may be more of a running quarterback than Harkins ever had with Block.

Huston Eliser will move from quarterback to the backfield.

&uot;We’re trying to learn what to do right now,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;After we learn what to do, we’ll learn how to do it. It’s a little different from what they’re used to, but all in all it’s not a real hard thing to put in. I think we’ve got plenty of size, and we’ve got plenty of talent to run my offensive effectively.&uot;

At Trinity, head coach David King said he’ll be available for morning workouts only since his son, Kent, is part of the Natchez 13-year-old Dixie Boys All-Stars at the state tournament in Greenville. But the Saints will still go two-a-day workouts starting today with 15 expected to suit up this morning begin their second season in Class AA.

&uot;It was just a typical summer for us,&uot; King said. &uot;I have to applaud the kids for our summer workouts. They basically never missed. We’ve got baseball camps, summer leagues and going on. We’re just not going to be big on the line.&uot;

The start of two-a-days gives coaches a chance to iron out a starter at quarterback following the graduation of Zack Rogel. Stevan Ridley may be the odds-on favorite for it with Wells Middleton and Cathedral transfer Parker Brumfield expected to see action there.

Tripp Bryant took some snaps under center during the spring but moved to receiver.

&uot;It is a wide-open race right now,&uot; King said. &uot;Ridley can run the ball and throw it, but we’d much rather have him behind the fullback running the football.&uot;