Fall sports teams in South Carolina can officially start practice on Friday and one area football team plans to get as early a start as possible.
St. James, under first-year head coach Mark Fischer, will begin its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. Friday morning in a football "Midnight Madness." The event will be held at the school's football stadium, with gates opening at 11 p.m. Hot dogs will be available for fans.
Teams must practice in helmets only until Tuesday, according to South Carolina High School League rules.
Fischer takes over for Billy Hurston, who resigned following the 2010 season after serving as the only coach in the program's seven-year history.
Fischer, 46, had previously served as the head coach at Louisa County High in Mineral, Va., for the past eight seasons.
