CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The coming season won't exactly be a snap for Kanawha Valley football teams. First, they have to find someone to take snaps.

Ten of the area's 12 teams began their search for new blood under center Monday as high school football practice began around the state.

The season actually opened for seven West Virginia prep sports on Monday - football, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, golf and cheerleading. Volleyball practice starts on Aug. 11.

Football workouts will be limited to non-contact drills until Aug. 12. Players can suit up in pads starting Friday. The first scrimmage date is Aug. 16 and the season opens the weekend of Aug. 28-30.

Kanawha Valley schools might be a little behind at the outset, seeing as six of the 10 departed quarterbacks started more than one season. One of those was Capital's Malik Witten, a three-year starter.

The Cougars, however, do sport some experience at that position in junior Joe Beane, who played in a handful of games the past two years. Beane actually went most of the way in a 24-14 loss to Princeton in 2006 when Witten sat out a one-game suspension.

Beane completed 13-of-20 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns in that game. His two-year varsity totals are 18-of-34 for 219 yards, two TDs and two interceptions.

"Malik was a good player for us,'' said Capital coach Jack Woolwine. "No doubt about it, when you look at his percentages. He threw only four interceptions all year. If you used the NFL quarterbacking rating system, he would have rated really high.

"But we have a lot of confidence in Joe Beane. He's been on the team since he was a freshman. He's got skills. He's got talent. We feel very comfortable with him. But everybody's competing for a position now. We're starting back at page one.''

Woolwine said 48 players participated in Monday's morning workout, and another half-dozen players were attending summer school. That's a slight drop from the 62 who turned out for the approved three-week practice period in June.

"We had great attitude for the first day of practice,'' Woolwine said. "I think we've got a lot of leadership. We're like everybody else - there's so much to do and so many things that need to be done. I think we have a good group of kids. I know we're excited. I think we'll be just fine.''

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The coming season won't exactly be a snap for Kanawha Valley football teams. First, they have to find someone to take snaps.

Ten of the area's 12 teams began their search for new blood under center Monday as high school football practice began around the state.

The season actually opened for seven West Virginia prep sports on Monday - football, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, golf and cheerleading. Volleyball practice starts on Aug. 11.

Football workouts will be limited to non-contact drills until Aug. 12. Players can suit up in pads starting Friday. The first scrimmage date is Aug. 16 and the season opens the weekend of Aug. 28-30.

Kanawha Valley schools might be a little behind at the outset, seeing as six of the 10 departed quarterbacks started more than one season. One of those was Capital's Malik Witten, a three-year starter.

The Cougars, however, do sport some experience at that position in junior Joe Beane, who played in a handful of games the past two years. Beane actually went most of the way in a 24-14 loss to Princeton in 2006 when Witten sat out a one-game suspension.

Beane completed 13-of-20 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns in that game. His two-year varsity totals are 18-of-34 for 219 yards, two TDs and two interceptions.

"Malik was a good player for us,'' said Capital coach Jack Woolwine. "No doubt about it, when you look at his percentages. He threw only four interceptions all year. If you used the NFL quarterbacking rating system, he would have rated really high.

"But we have a lot of confidence in Joe Beane. He's been on the team since he was a freshman. He's got skills. He's got talent. We feel very comfortable with him. But everybody's competing for a position now. We're starting back at page one.''

Woolwine said 48 players participated in Monday's morning workout, and another half-dozen players were attending summer school. That's a slight drop from the 62 who turned out for the approved three-week practice period in June.

"We had great attitude for the first day of practice,'' Woolwine said. "I think we've got a lot of leadership. We're like everybody else - there's so much to do and so many things that need to be done. I think we have a good group of kids. I know we're excited. I think we'll be just fine.''

Buffalo also loses a three-year starter under center in Nick Harris, which means fleet-footed Corey Good moves over from wideout to quarterback.

"Corey's our fastest kid,'' said coach Mike Sawyer. "He's more of a Pat White-type - able to hurt you through the air and with his legs. Where Nick would try to hang in there and find the open guy, [Good] will get out and go more.

"Since I've been at Buffalo, I've had kids like Nick and [multi-year starter] Joey Tolley and you get spoiled. When you've got your quarterback back, it helps you because he can direct the other kids. It makes it a lot easier.''

Sawyer said the Bison had a turnout of about 30 players for Monday's opening day of practice, about the same number he had during June workouts.

The first sport to start competing will be golf, which can play regular-season matches today. Hurricane (Class AAA) and Charleston Catholic (Class A) captured state championships last fall.

Catholic looks to be solid again this year, with No. 1 player Justen Holstein (junior) and No. 4 Michael Bush (senior) returning, with three incoming freshmen expected to compete with the varsity right away. Holstein qualified for the State Open at Berry Hills.

"They should be pretty high,'' Irish coach Bill Gillispie said of expectations. "The two kids we have coming back have a lot of experience in big tournaments and nine of our 15 played this summer on the Top Flite Junior Tour.''

Catholic opens its season Wednesday at Riverside Country Club in Mason against Wahama and Jackson (Ohio).

Soccer games can begin on Aug. 22, and cross country meets pick up the day after that. The first day volleyball matches can be scheduled is Sept. 3.

This is the first season in which more than one soccer champion will be crowned. The sport has been broken into AAA and AA-A divisions for both boys and girls. George Washington defeated Hurricane 1-0 for last year's boys championship, and Jefferson edged Parkersburg 2-1 in a shootout for the girls title.

Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.