A short three months is all that stands between high school football teams and the start of the 2010 season.

With that in mind, Rockmart High School head football coach Dan Duff and his staff have been putting the Yellow Jackets through their paces during spring drills the last two weeks to set the team in the right direction.

“We’re young again and that’s something we’ve had to deal with in the past but the kids have got to want to play,” Duff said last week. “That’s the biggest thing right now – do the kids want to do it.”

Players will get a public platform to prove that on Friday during the annual Black and Gold spring game at Hilburn Field. Admission is $3 and free for children 12 and under.

The evening will start at 6 p.m. with a scrimmage featuring the Rockmart Middle School football team. The high school team will take the field at 7:30 p.m.

Played at the former home of the Yellow Jackets for the third year in a row, the spring tradition will pit players against each other while evaluating returning starters and newcomers alike.

“We always want to see them get after one another,” Duff said. “It doesn’t matter which side wins. If they do that then we’ll be pleased.”

The off-season has presented more problems for the Yellow Jackets than Duff and his staff had originally thought they would have to deal with next season.

A large area of concern will be the experience that Rockmart will return on defense, which defensive coordinator Joe McCoy says seemed to deteriorate after the final game of the season.

“We came off the field at Chattooga with nine defensive players back (for next season) and it seemed like when we got home we only had about three or four,” McCoy said.

“It’s a concern for us but as long as we have guys that can hit and run, we’ll put them in the right place.”

Part of that process is realizing where current freshmen are in their development and making sure they get the proper guidance before the first snap on Aug. 27 to prepare them for varsity football.

“We’re looking at putting in a lot of sophomores,” McCoy said. “They’re not going to know a lot of technique right now but if they stay with it over the summer we’re certain that they will pick up on it.”

Despite the losses the Jackets face due to graduation and other circumstances, Duff has been excited about the enthusiasm the players have displayed on the practice field.

“All of us have noticed that our character is so much better right now than it was this time last year,” Duff said. “Everybody here is working hard and that’s what we want to see.”