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Heading into the 108th season of Bainbridge Bearcat football, head coach Jay Walls’ goal isn’t just to compete—it’s to cultivate a team identity rooted in effort, execution, and purpose.

Today, July 10, Bainbridge is set to compete in Thomasville’s seven-on-seven tournament, testing their speed, precision, and playmaking against other high school squads. But Coach Walls is quick to put the tournament in perspective.

“You hope anytime you’re out there on the grass, the guys want to compete at a high level,” Walls said. “But along with intensity and fire, you want to see technique carry over—what we do with drills, coaching points, and execution. When those pieces come together, that’s when you start seeing great play.”

Still, Walls is level-headed about the limitations of the format.

“Seven-on-seven is not real football,” he emphasized. “It’s good for working your passing game and defensive coverage. But I’ve seen teams look terrible in seven-on-seven and play for a state championship—others dominate and then go 1–9. You can’t assume success or failure determine anything for 11-on-11 football.”

In the fast-paced environment of seven-on-seven football, quarterbacks face split-second reads absent any offensive line, while wide receivers hone route precision to break open passing lanes. Teams play under a four-down system to score and operate in two timed halves, encouraging dynamic play from start to finish.

The lessons learned in Thomasville will be carried into organized team activities on July 15 and 17. And while the Bearcats will be reviewing film and making corrections, the deeper work lies in building something bigger than schemes and formations.

Organized team activities offered in the spring and summer serve as a vital phase for coaches to install game plans leading into fall camp, improve player techniques, and build team chemistry, all while minimizing physical intensity.

Under Georgia High School Athletic guidelines, summer competitions between schools may only involve limited protective gear: helmets, mouthpieces, shoulder pads, thigh pads, and girdle pads. Football pants and knee pads remain prohibited.

“We’ve been talking to our guys about putting the team first, teammates second, and ourselves third,” Walls said. “That’s how you prepare to be great—mentally and physically. Every workout matters now. The urgency has to be there because we scrimmage Moultrie (Colquitt County) on August 7 and play Coffee the week after.”

With a five-day acclimation period beginning July 28, the Bearcats will move into full-contact practices. Helmets come first, followed by live play. And while execution briefly dipped during a break, Walls sees the grind ahead as an opportunity to refocus.

“The past couple of days, our attention to detail slipped. But getting back into consistent reps—four days this week, padded camp next week, then acclimation—will help us lock back in,” he said. “You’ve got to do the little things right, every single day.”

Every drill counts. Every rep is a step. Every film clip reveals the path forward. That’s the mindset driving the Bearcats.