Huntingdon looking to fill holes at receiver

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The third day of preseason camp was a little more spirited for the Huntingdon football team.

Taking the field in shoulder pads and shorts for the first time on Wednesday, the Hawks continued to build on the first two days of practice while adding another dimension.

"Having the shoulder pads on, it was a little more fun today. This is when it starts to feel like football," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "Once you're in shoulder pads, you can start running plays and competing to get better. We need a lot of reps at a lot of positions right now and we want to make the most of those opportunities each day."

One position with multiple holes to fill is receiver. The Hawks return last season's leading receiver in Tyler Robinson. But six of the Hawks' top eight receiving threats last season were seniors.

"We've got Tyler Robinson back and he's solid. We know he is going to make plays and we're thankful we still have him," Turk said. "But most of the guys who caught passes for us last year are gone. That's obviously a concern for us early on."

Robinson led the team with 35 receptions for 571 yards last season and ranks ninth in Huntingdon history in career receptions and 11th in career receiving yards. The Hawks' next two returning receivers (Taylor Belsterling and Brantley Carr) each have nine career receptions. Sophomore Darryl Vason caught four passes last season.

"Belsterling, Vason and Carr all have game experience, they just haven't had the opportunity to catch that many passes yet," Turk said. "Those three are solid guys and so is Jamichael Bibb. Bibb has looked good in the preseason and has a lot of potential.

"We have some guys. We're just not as experienced as we're accustomed to being."

Turk said newcomers Hunter Olive, Nick Haas and John Dunn have also looked good in the preseason.

"Right now, we're still looking for some guys," Turk said. "We play a lot of receivers and we play fast, so we need depth to help us win. A few guys have already gotten our attention and we hope to see a few more step up in the coming days."

The Hawks return to the practice field in shoulder pads and shorts on Thursday at 9 a.m. Practice is open to the public.