It was a hot night at Bulldog Stadium for the annual Saturday Night Lights open practice where the community got its first glimpse of the 2022 Zephyrhills Bulldogs.
Head coach Nick Carroll introduced the event several years ago as a way to give back to the community. The idea was inspired by the community events conducted by the Green Bay Packers.
He gave it a Zephyrhills’ twist and opens the gates for the first official live practice with pads. “Every year it seems to get bigger and bigger,” Carroll said. “I think it’s something fun for the first day of contact to have a little extra energy.”
There is more to the practice than getting a few hits in. Carroll sees it as a critical learning tool at the end of the first week of camp. The practice is recorded and will be reviewed to get ready for week two.
“Now we can see where we’re at and see where we need to work towards,” Carroll said. “We’ll get better with this.”