NATCHEZ &8212; A long summer filled with workouts and waiting is now over for the Adams County Rebels.

The Rebels opened practice Tuesday with a morning and an afternoon session, and head coach Bobby Marks said he was pleased with the first day&8217;s results.

&8220;We got started today and had two sessions,&8221; he said. &8220;We had two good practices. The first practice is usually a three-ring circus, but these kids came in and got to business.&8221;

MPSA rules prohibit teams from getting in full pads until next week, and will only allow shoulder pads to be used for sled drills. Because of that, Marks says the first week is a good opportunity to get organized.

&8220;You want to try to find punters, kickers, snappers and all the other special teams stuff,&8221; he said. &8220;A thing you really want to do is start executing your plays as well as you can before you put the pads on so there&8217;s one less thing you have to worry about.&8221;

Marks said those were many of the things he and his staff worked on Tuesday.

&8220;We did a lot of special teams work,&8221; he said. &8220;We had a lot of drills. We tried to find a punter and a deep snapper. We want to try to get all that done before we get in pads, because then you&8217;ll feel like you&8217;re wasting your time.&8221;

While the Rebels were decimated by graduation &8212; 10 senior starters will be roaming college campuses this fall &8212; Marks did say this team had the potential to make things happen this year.

&8220;It looks like we&8217;re going to have a bunch of tough kids,&8221; he said. &8220;They really got out there and worked hard today. The thing is we&8217;re opening with a powerhouse in Centerville, and then a couple of weeks later we&8217;ve got Silliman, and then we&8217;ve got Parkland. We&8217;re opening with three tough opponents in our first (four) games. Once these kids get some experience I think they&8217;re going to be OK.&8221;