PINETOWN — Summer workouts for any fall sport can be tricky. Because coaches can’t hold mandatory practices until August, some will get consistent participation throughout the offseason.

Others won’t see the same numbers in the summer. They’ll have to make due with what athletes can and do come out for workouts. That’s the circumstance Northside football finds itself in. Whether because of work or vacations, upperclassmen representation has been spotty as of late.

“We’ve still got a lot of question marks,” coach Keith Boyd said. “… We’re having good turnouts, but we’re seeing a lot of our older kids. We have to wait and see until mandatory (practice) gets here.”

Boyd isn’t letting that slow down the Panthers. He’s using the time to get acquainted with the program’s newer faces. The majority of the defensive starters from last year return this season, so working closer with those lower on the depth chart helps to build depth.

“We’re taking this time to plug those young kids in and kind of get them up to speed,” Boyd said. “It’s good, in a way, because we’re able to spend some time with the young kids and get to know them. We’re really excited about those guys. They’re coming every day and really seem to like football.

“We’re having 25-30 every day and getting some things done, but as far as the varsity side, we aren’t going to know anything until Aug. 1 gets here.”

Many of those question marks surround the varsity squad. Meanwhile, things have been falling into place for the junior-varsity squad this summer. Boyd is hoping to have a freshman-heavy group to build toward the future.

The plan is that the younger players are going to be prepared for the season after getting closer attention during the summer. They’re getting plenty of reps now, and will get to scrimmage against their older counterparts come August.

“We’re planning to let them scrimmage Aug. 9,” Boyd said. “They’re learning at a fast pace. We’ll just let them get out there and have some fun instead of standing on the sidelines. The best experience is to get experience. Throw them out there in the fire, let them go, and teach them as we go.”

Ideally, Boyd wants to especially keep the freshmen on the JV unit this season. He did indicate that if the players he expects to show up in August do, then the younger players will stay on JV.

“There aren’t many freshmen out there ready to compete with 17 and 18-year-olds,” Boyd explained. “I hope we don’t have to put them in that position. I hope we’ll be able to leave them down and let them compete against people they’re own size and age.”

Even so, few teams get through a football season unscathed. Northside is building depth to safeguard against injuries. The hard work the younger Panthers are putting in now will pay dividends years down the road.