ST. PAULS — It doesn’t matter if a team played for a state championship last season or had its worst season in a decade — everyone is excited about the new season when practice begins at the start of August each year.

Monday was the first day of official practice, and Robeson County’s teams from St. Pauls to Fairmont and in between each took to the field for the start of a new season.

“We’re excited about getting back on the field,” St. Pauls coach Mike Setzer said. “It feels like yesterday we just finished playing football. I feel like we’re ahead of the game in some areas, but you never feel like you’re totally prepared as a coach — like today, the first day, we’re trying to get everybody’s paperwork together, things like that. Today is seeing the kids effort, seeing everything get back into form, all of our kids understanding the nuances of practice.”

“If I could compare myself to any of the coaches in the state, I didn’t get a whole lot of rest last night,” first-year Fairmont coach Lonnie Cox said. “Because all I could think about was how we were going to organize practice, how we were going to issue out equipment, how we were going to make the most of our first day together.”

While the coaches try to prepare their players for the upcoming season, the players try to channel their excitement into productive practices on the field.

“We’re just getting back to it, going through the same routines and stuff like that,” St. Pauls senior quarterback Mikail Breeden said. “We’re getting things packed down, preparing for the season, the first game, and taking it a game at a time.”

“First day of school, and we’re back at it, running; I didn’t like the conditioning too much, but that’s part of the game,” Fairmont senior center Kyran McKee said. “So it feels really good.”

St. Pauls enters the season after Robeson County’s most successful season in decades, as they became the first county team to play for a state championship since Maxton in 1975 when they faced Salisbury in the 2AA title game on May 6.

While the first week of practice isn’t what could win St. Pauls another regional championship or a state title, Setzer hopes to set the tone with his team now so they’re well-equipped for another long playoff run later this fall.

“(We’re) being really cognizant of doing what got us here,” Setzer said. “And that means attacking every day new, so today’s conversation is that we’re not going to win the state championship today, that’s not what today’s about. Today’s about attacking this day like we did. We got there by attacking the day as a new day every day, so today’s got to be a new day in how we attack it, and we’ve got to win today.”

The opening practice was also a bittersweet moment for the Bulldogs, gathering just days after the death of Marqueise Coleman, who played for the team from 2016-19. Setzer opened practice by addressing the loss with his team, and the words “Big 32” are painted in an area just off the practice field to serve as a memorial for Coleman.

“We’re going to address it in some form or fashion every day,” Setzer said. “We don’t want to forget about it, but it’s a situation where we’ve got to make sure we’re doing the best by Marqueise and also always that we’re paying his respects, and that we’re trying to coach and raise these kids in the best manner. There’s not a playbook to it, but I think us getting back together is the best way to handle the situation.”

Across the county at Fairmont, the first steps in turning around a team that was 1-5 last season are already taking place, with Cox stressing the importance of changing the culture in the program by instilling discipline in his players. That process began during summer workouts and continued Monday as the Golden Tornadoes took to the practice field.

“The approach is really simple for me: we would love to go 10-0 this year, we would love to win a state championship, but I think because this place means so much to me and because I want to see this program be successful in the future, year in and year out, we’re taking the important steps and learning the importance of culture and discipline right now,” Cox said. “Because those are the only things that have kept this program from being 2A state championship contenders every year.”

“The culture change is very important,” McKee said. “Over the last few years, we had people quit during games, cussing and all that. But it feels different already.”

The season opens on Aug. 20 when Fairmont hosts Lumberton, St. Pauls hosts Purnell Swett and Red Springs plays at Douglas Byrd.