Coach Ed Pilcher’s Bainbridge High School Bearcats football team is working hard in their off-season conditioning program.

Strength and conditioning coordinator and defensive secondary coach Tommy Gilstrap is putting the team through daily workouts in the school weight room while coach Pilcher and other members of his staff are competing in some speed and conditioning drills in shorts on the practice field.

In the weight room, team members are building strong legs and hips by doing power cleans, squats and snatches.

They are also building strong arms and hips by doing bench presses.

On the field, Head Coach Pilcher and the other coaches are working on improving team speed.

The Bearcats will continue working next week, then take off July 2 through July 11, and return to work July 12. Bainbridge will open its 2010 gridiron season on August 27 against Class AA foe Early County in Blakely, Ga. Their first home game will be Sept. 3 against their archrival, the Cairo Syrupmakers.

The Bearcats look to improve their 2009 season, in which they finished 6-5, including a first-round loss in the state AAAA playoffs.