For first-year St. Edmund head coach Thomas David, the summer has been filled with introductions, instruction and implementation.

In a few weeks, David will be able to tell if all that preparation has taken hold when pre-season practices begin.

“The kids have done a good job of showing up and working hard this summer,” David said of the weight program and the 7-on-7 camps they participated in around the state.

“They have been a great hard working group of kids ever since I arrived and that is what it is going to take for us to be successful.”

With 38 players, David said he would like to get more players involved to get future numbers up to 50 players.

“The first 7-on-7 camp started out pretty rocky,” David said of the competition. “But that is part of the learning process.

“That gave them the opportunity to see the game at a faster speed,” he said. “It also helped them see what they know as compared to what they thought they knew.”

The coach said he is excited about how the spring practices and summer program have gone but he can’t wait until Aug. 12 when they can practice in full pads.

“We will finish out the summer in the weight room and try to get as much teaching done as possible before fall practice starts.”

David said he is excited about the 15 seniors who have been good leaders and he is expecting good things from them this season.

“We have a chance to be successful because we have such a large group of seniors that have played a significant amount last year and can give us some good leadership.

“But staying healthy is our number one concern.”