LJWorld.com

Matt Anderson didn't want players feeling sorry for him on his first day as Lawrence High's boys soccer coach.

Anderson barely could get around the field Monday at Holcom Park. He hobbled over to midfield on crutches, officially introduced himself to the new team, and hobbled back to the sideline to prop up his leg. The limping was the result of surgery he had two weeks ago on his left leg for bone-spur and Achilles-tendon injuries.

This was no time for a pity party, though. It was time to get to work.

Anderson made sure of that. His team ran. Then, it ran some more. In fact, there wasn't a soccer ball in sight.

"Nah, they don't deserve a ball yet," said Anderson, who has coached the Lions girls soccer team the past four seasons. "We'll start with a ball tomorrow. I know a lot of them expected to come out here with a ball, but we've got some things that we need to chart being that I'm brand-new with the boys."

Welcome to day one of fall high school sports practices - a grueling mix of conditioning and rehydrating. Monday, all seven fall sports teams took to the mats, courts and fields for LHS.

Three 40-yard dashes, a mile run and five other drills highlighted the Lions' opening soccer practice, where 57 players came out for the three-day tryout.

"I'm not so excited for the running, but it's good to be back out here," said senior midfielder Dar Fornelli.

The girls tennis team had 22 players out for tryouts on the first day. Lions head coach Steve Hudson said he was pleased with his team's progress during the 2 1/2-hour session.

"We want to teach the basics, get them in shape and evaluate talent," Hudson said.

Only two LHS players were on the varsity team a year ago, so Hudson used simple baseline hitting games with no serves on day one.

The Lions' cross country team wrapped up its first practice at LHS around 5 p.m. Senior girls co-captain Kati Wheatley said the goal of the first week was to build back stamina by running more miles each day.

Lawrence's gymnastics team began the season with practice at Free State High, and the girls golf team took to the links at Alvamar Country Club.

At volleyball practice, 40 girls showed up for the first of three tryouts. The three-hour session stressed game situations, as coach Stephanie Magnuson watched all players from the bleachers above.

Magnuson, in her second year as coach, said it was good to be back for another season.

"I love being around the kids," Magnuson said. "The faster I can get to the season, and the quicker I can get to my kids, the happier I am."

LHS football coach Dirk Wedd had a similar response. Wedd may have been downright giddy for day one of practices, where 72 athletes came out. He said he was so excited, he actually woke up a half hour earlier than usual - 5:30 a.m.

"It's as close to Christmas as you can get," Wedd said of the first football practice. "There's only one of them per year."