CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – West Creek High School football has been docked five of its 12 offseason practice days after self-reporting a violation in its July 9 practice.
Clarksville Now attended the practice, during which the Coyotes wore shoulder pads before they were permitted and participated in a tackling circuit. According to the TSSAA football practice regulations, shoulder pads may not be worn until Monday of Week 4 on the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) calendar. This year, that date is July 20.
In a letter to West Creek athletic director Patrick Digby, TSSAA Executive Director Mark Reeves thanked the school for self-reporting. “Thank you for your prompt self-report of this violation and for the corrective actions your administration has already taken in response,” Reeves wrote.
“We appreciate the school’s immediate review of the football heat acclimatization procedures with the coaching staff and your recognition that these requirements exist first and foremost to protect the health and safety of student-athletes.”
There’s no doubt the Coyotes are searching for a step in the right direction after going 1-9 in 2025. When asked July 9 about the intensity of the practice, head coach Michael Booker didn’t shy away from last season’s struggles. “It was a dismal year last year. Atrocious. A disgusting year last year, but we grew from that. I think everybody on the staff and the coaches, we all grew from that,” Booker said.
Clarksville Now has reached out to Booker for comment on the violation and penalty.
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