When his Rudder Rangers begin their first workout of the 2010 football season Monday, head coach C.M. Pier will bank on something he's never had before: senior leadership.

Beginning his fourth season overall and third varsity season, Pier will coach his first senior class.

"Even through summer workouts, it's been very different," Pier said "The kids understand, knew the expectation and, for the most part, did what we asked them to do. We're going to have a senior class, and that in itself is very different."

Rudder will issue equipment at 7 a.m. Monday and will begin workouts at 7:30 as most Brazos Valley teams begin workouts for the 2010 high school football season.

Rudder coaches who have been in place since the program was established will have a unique opportunity to work with the same group of athletes throughout their four years in high school.

The program actually began when the current seniors were still freshmen at Bryan High. In preparation for the opening of Rudder High, they played a separate schedule from Bryan teams.

The unusual situation is not lost on Pier and the Rangers.

"We will talk about that all through two-a-days, a lot," Pier said. "This is something special. Not everybody gets to do this. I'm going to talk to the seniors a lot about that. What do you want to leave behind? What type of legacy do you want to leave for the guys coming behind you?"

Pier says that his team, which will compete in District 16-4A, will be pushed hard to succeed. Four teams qualify for the playoffs in Class 4A districts, and Rudder's league has seven teams.

"They can handle more now," Pier said. "We will push them hard, both mentally and physically. That's not going to change. They ought to be at a point now where mentally they can handle this stuff. They've got a very good understanding of what is going to happen, and at 7 o'clock Monday morning we're going to crank it up and be full speed ahead."

The Rangers host Taylor at Merrill Green Stadium in their season opener Aug. 27.

The A&M Consolidated Tigers and Bryan Vikings, because they took part in spring drills, will not begin their camps until Aug. 9. They are the only two schools in the Brazos Valley that cannot begin Monday.

Rudder considered spring drills prior to its first season in Class 4A but decided against holding them. Only 5A and 4A teams may conduct workouts in the spring.

"We had a lot of kids in baseball and a lot of coaches," Pier said. "We also had a lot of coaches in track. With FYP [flexible year program] and our school year being reduced down, and we also had a coach that went in for surgery, [spring practice] would not have been good for us to do."

Because a strong group of football players compete in track and baseball, Brenham traditionally bypasses spring drills. It paid off with a 4A state baseball crown.

The football Cubs, who were Class 4A Division II state finalists in 2009, will work out at 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Friday's practice is set for 7:30 a.m.

Snook can identify with the spot that Rudder was in two seasons ago, as Phillip Pearce's Bluejays begin their first full football season. Snook will work out from 7-9 each morning and return for a second practice from 10 a.m.-noon.

Madisonville will move back north for district play this season, competing in 20-3A. The Mustangs will work out each day at 7 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday after opening Monday with a single practice at 9 a.m.

Rockdale, Caldwell and Navasota remain together but in a new district, 23-3A.

Rockdale will issue equipment at 7 a.m. Monday, and Jeff Miller's team is scheduled to take the field at 8 a.m. On Tuesday, practice times shift to 7 a.m.-9 a.m. and 10 a.m.-noon. Navasota begins practice at 4 p.m. and concludes at 10:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Although they will build a break in, Centerville begins workouts for its season in the new Class 2A Division II at 7:30 a.m. Monday. Practices will conclude at approximately 1:30 p.m. each day.

Lexington will also be in 2A Division II. The Eagles, ranked fifth in Texas Football's preseason poll, will work out from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

The Cameron Yoemen, picked eighth in Class 2A Division I by Texas Football, drew more attention by nearly winning the Division II 7-on-7 state championship. The Yoemen have their opening-week two-a-day practices set for 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Hearne will have morning workouts from 7:30 a.m.-10 a.m., and Ralph Lymas' team will return to the field from 5-7:30 p.m.

Three Brazos Valley teams will compete this season in the new Class A Division I, including Normangee, which will practice each day from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Milano will play in Class A Division II, and Craig Jentsch's Eagles have two-a-days set for 7 a.m.-noon, with a one-hour break between practices. The Burton Panthers, who will be district opponents for Milano, have their practice sessions set from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

While UIL rules prohibit players from working out in pads until Friday, those rules don't apply to private schools. Brazos Christian has scheduled evening workouts, with Monday and Tuesday practices to begin at 6 p.m. The Eagles will don shoulder pads on Tuesday.

Brazos Christian will practice Wednesday morning at 7:30 before departing for its annual mini-camp Thursday morning. St. Joseph will start with a 7 p.m. practice session Tuesday, with Saturday's workout scheduled for 11 a.m.

Iola is also taking a late afternoon route. The Bulldogs begin their workouts at 4:45 p.m. Monday and conclude at dark. That leads toward an intrasquad scrimmage set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Navasota Rattler Stadium.