NATCHEZ — Cathedral might not have taken part in spring football practices, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be working hard to improve upon last year’s 4-6 season.

Due to the long playoff run of the Green Wave baseball team and the fact that many of the football players also play on the diamond, coach Craig Beesley decided not to have spring practice and just concentrate on summer workouts, which begin on Monday.

“We’re going to be working out three days a week during June and July and begin our regular season practices on August 4,” Beesley said. “We’ll be doing a lot of strength and conditioning drills so we can add a little strength and stay in good shape.”

The hot Mississippi weather is one of the reasons that Beesley said conditioning is so important.

“Football season starts in August so the first two months are going to be hot,” Beesley said. “We want the players to build up their conditioning so they can be used to it and we can do more teaching in August.”

One of the things Beesley wants the Green Wave to improve upon is its defense.

New athletic director Josh Loy will also be helping coach the defense, which is an important factor, Beesley said.

“We’re excited about him being with us,” Beesley said. “He can do a lot with our defense and help us get a little stronger and bigger than last year.”

Beesley said that will be a key to Cathedral’s success on the gridiron this fall.

“We felt like a lot of teams last year just lined up and ran the ball right at us,” Beesley said. “We’ve got a lot of returning players on defense and we hope to be stronger and bigger in that area. That will be a big key to the season.”

Players such as quarterback Preston Edwards, defensive end and slot receiver Kole Junkin, linebacker and offensive tackle Stowers Mohon, offensive tackle and defensive lineman Josh Gamberi, and wide receiver Daniel Jenkins will have to step in and fill the shoes of the seniors that have departed from last year’s team.

Even though the Green Wave finished last season with a 4-6 record, they did win three of their last four games, which is something Beesley hopes they can build on.

“We hope to build off of that (finish to the season),” Beesley said. “We play in a tough region, but we finished the season on a good note last year.”