Under muggy, windy and cloudy skies on Monday, the Colonels football team strapped on their gear and conducted their first practice of spring training 2004.After finishing the 2003 regular season at 5-6 and finalizing the 2004 recruiting class in February, the Colonels took the practice field for the first time in three months. According to head football coach Daryl Daye, the first day was enough proof that it has been three months since the last practice.

“It looked like the first day of spring,” Daryl Daye, head football coach, said. “I saw a lot of unorganized huddles, lackluster breaks out of huddles, people not running to the ball like they were supposed to.”

“Today was pretty decent,” senior cornerback David Willis said. “We lost a lot of guys last year. We have a lot of guys who are going to step up and fill in a lot of shoes. We are going to get there, but we are working hard and just going to strive all the way through.”

With the loss of key seniors such as quarterback Josh Son, cornerback Chris Thompson and punter John Manly, Daye said it is time a new breed of leaders step up and take charge of the team.

“We are looking for some young guys to step up and be leaders,” Daye said. “It’s a new staff for us because the Josh Son and Chris Thompson eras are over. Somebody’s got to step up and be the leader. Guys like (senior cornerbacks) David Willis, Henry Johnson and Joe Ogletree and proven starters who have been here awhile have to step up and be leaders.”

After searching for leaders, Daye and his coaching staff will then have to huddle up and settle many position controversies, most notably at the quarterback and linebacker positions.

“It’s a change-over year, and we have a lot of new faces,” Daye said. “There is no area on the field that doesn’t have some type of additional competition for starting jobs, other than a couple. That is what it is all about because they were signed for that reason to step up and become leaders and productive players, and it’s their turn now.”

Daye said he expects the most competitive job to come from the quarterback position. Junior quarterbacks Yale Vannoy and James Morales and sophomore quarterbacks Sedgwyn Thigpen and Rashawn Jefferson each are vying for a chance to lead the Colonels “Swampbone” offense.

“Those are the guys who are going to battle out for it,” Daye said. “It is going to be the most productive player who steps up and runs the offense the best that will be the starter. Who that is right now, I couldn’t tell you because we have some talented guys that have done some nice things today.”

Daye said another position that is wide open is at linebacker, where anyone could step up and be a starter.

“It’s a key position, and I am anxious to see what happens there,” Daye said. “We have some young guys who are going to have an opportunity to step up and take some starting linebacker jobs. We also signed some junior college guys who are going to come in during the fall and compete as well. It is a lot like our quarterback position, but even less experience there.”

Spring training will last for the next two weeks, with the spring game held in Guidry Stadium in April. As of press time Monday, Daye said the date of the game has not been set.

The Colonels will conduct their first full-pads practice on Saturday, and later that evening, they will host their annual football banquet from the Plantation Suite in the Thibodaux Civic Center at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the event are $25 and it is open to the public. Since the theme of the event is Hawaiian, everyone is asked to wear Hawaiian shirts.

“We are going to award all of our most valuable offensive, defensive and special teams players,” Daye said. “We are also going to honor our senior football players.