It’s closing in on two months since Escambia Academy hired Hugh Fountain to lead its athletic programs and football team, but with each day, the new man on campus is adjusting quickly.

His time at Escambia Academy has been spent meeting with athletes and potential coaches, and it has been an enjoyable experience, Fountain said.

“It’s been good in my first six weeks,” he said. “I’m learning something new each day at this school. Our participation is good in athletics, and several kids play multiple sports. The good thing is that they all want to play and are working hard.”

Fountain has been implementing a weight-training program for the Cougars’ football team that he will begin leading in spring practice in less than two months.

“We are still on a day-by-day basis,” he said. “We are trying to improve ourselves athletically in the weight room right now, so we can be in the best shape by the time we start spring training in April.”

With so many starters gone,  it looks to be a rebuilding process that will begin from the ground up for the  young team.

Finding the players that want to improve the team will be the key to be a good team, Fountain said.

“This team graduated several seniors, so we are looking at the younger players to find out who can step up for us,” he said. “To develop this team, we will need to be dedicated to getting stronger and more athletic, but I think everything on that end is going well.”

One thing Fountain has not run short on is players to evaluate.

More than 50 potential football players are attending weight lifting, which Fountain said has been a good sign.

“We have 55 kids that are hitting the weights everyday,” he said. “That number includes junior varsity players, but all of them are dedicated to work. Right now, we are just looking at each player to find their strengths and weaknesses.”

While looking at players has been an important task for Fountain, the job of finding assistants to coach them has also become a large task.

Having for than 25 years of experience of coaching gives Fountain an idea of what he wants in a coach, but he has given himself a deadline to fill his staff, he said.

“As far as the coaching staff is going, I’m beginning to put that together now,” he said. “This school is a unique situation in that so many volunteer coaches are used. Our goal is to get a staff together by the end of April, and we are looking for coaches that can come in and help our players. I want to find enough coaches that will allow us to get a lot of focus on individual positions and areas on the team.”