The varsity football team will be playing its spring game May 14 at 7 p.m. at Goldsmith Stadium.

According to UIL rules, the football team is allowed 18 practices in a period of 30 consecutive days. Smaller schools aren’t allowed to have a spring game. The team will play a scrimmage on Saturday at 8:45 a.m.

“We scrimmage on Wednesdays on Saturdays and then we have a spring game,” head coach Gregg Miller said. “[We] divided the kids up and play a little game, and that’s spring ball.”

Before the varsity spring game, the sub-varsity will start around 5 p.m. Between the two games, next year’s sophomores and the older kids will have Operation Quick Start where students from the feeder elementary schools will compete for trophies and prizes.

“Coming out of spring ball, you know going into the summer what offseason has done for some kids that were questionable about whether or not they’d be able to play,” Miller said.

If the team chooses not to participate in spring ball, it can be traded for an extra week of two-a-day practices in August.

“Some of the kids are in track still and some are in baseball still, you just kind of take what you get,” Miller said. “It’s a review and it’s very fundamental and [we] try not to get kids hurt. That way this summer when [the coaches are] meeting, it allows us to develop some kids and give us stuff to work on during the summer.”

The 18 days is very physical and it is hard on them, but it makes them tough, Miller said.

Next year the school will be moving to a Class 6A UIL district and district games will be starting the third game of the year with Marcus being the first district opponent.

“It’s a little tough [being in a 6A district] because we got only big schools like Allen [and] Plano, all them about to hurt, but I feel good about it,”  junior Carl McGhee said. “I’m excited.”

The team will retain opponents Flower Mound, Marcus, and Hebron from this year’s district and will add Allen, Plano East, Plano West, Plano, and McKinney Boyd.

“I think it’s going to be tough just like it was this year, and you’re going to have to win more games to get in the playoffs, but if you want to be good you have to beat good people,” Miller said. “You can spin around in a weak district and beat everybody and get knocked out in the first round and pat yourself on the back, or you can be in a tough district and actually feel like you accomplished something when you get to playoffs.”