After three days of conditioning, the Escambia Academy Cougars finally put their pads on for Thursday’s practice.

With the beginning of their work in full gear, the Cougars immediately went to work and laying licks to one another in a variety of drills.

Cougars head coach Heath Gibson said his team was excited to finally get to hit each other after the conditioning period.

“Everyone has been amped up and excited,” he said. “The guys came out to our practice and really went hard at it. We’ll see how they react to the next days of practice though with the soreness setting in. Right now, they are just happy to be back on the football field and hitting has got them fired up.”

For more on this story see Saturday’s edition of The Atmore Advance.