I have stories in Monday’s paper about the first day of practice for Hays High and Thomas More Prep-Marian football, but wanted to post more of the interviews here.

TMP-Marian head coach Gene Flax on the schedule that features 2-1A opponents Kinsley and Ness-Dighton in Week 1 and 2. In past years, TMP-Marian often played 4A Abilene and Concordia.

“We have not had a great deal of success in the past several years, consequently everybody wants to play us and Abilene didn’t want to lose us and I told them that if we could find someone that would be closer, we were going to take them.”

On the first day of camp: “We got 10 or 11 seniors out there and we will give them a few days here to see what they can do for sure. We have got an abundance of receivers and we are short on running backs and we are going to have to move some kids around to get some reps there.”

On seniors Nolan McNeil and Drew Thomas not playing football: “I let them know that I invested three years in them and I guess the thing that I tried to relay to them and not being mean, the kids that want to play are going to be out here, but the thing that is disheartening is the fact that they were forced into varsity ball early in their careers because of a lack of upper classmen.

And to put the freshman here again, the younger classmen in that kind of predicament – although we do have more upperclassmen this year than we have had in the past several years – but to turnaround and do that to them after what they had to go through, I didn’t think was fair.

Football is not for everybody. Because I love it doesn’t mean everybody is going to love it and I certainly wish them all the best.”

On Ryan Post, who tore his ACL for the second time at the end of baseball season and is out for football: “Post would love to be out here. He asked if he could be a manager and that is the love of the game and we certainly are glad to have him along for the ride. I think when it is all said and done, they are going to regret not being out here because I think this team is truly going to have some real success this year.”