The presence of two new head coaches in the Atmore area has upped the anticipation over prep football season even higher than it normally is in August.

Both new coaches took the field today for their first official practices of the 2012 season. At Herbert Barnes Stadium, Escambia County High School’s Lev Holly took the helm. At Escambia Academy, Hugh Fountain paced the sidelines for the first time.

Both coaches are preparing for late-August starts to this year’s season, while working to convince their respective teams to buy into their personal systems.

Both coaches have expressed excitement over the upcoming season, and talked this week about the importance of getting off to a fast start in 2012.

For the complete story on the beginning of this year’s practices, see the Wednesday, Aug. 8 edition of The Atmore Advance.