RELEASE DATE: 9/02/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Popping the Pads -- football practice goes full contact

MANSFIELD -- The pads were popping Tuesday afternoon at Ed Russell practice field as the Mansfield University sprint football team went into full contact.

The team spent all of the Labor Day Weekend practicing in helmets and uppers before the Tuesday's first day of full-contact.

"It felt great," said Ryan Elder, a freshman who was serving in Iraq with the Marines four months ago. "Today it really felt like football."

Mansfield will continue to practice from 4-6:30 for the rest of the week before an intra-squad scrimmage and picture day on Saturday.

The Mountaineers will have an intra-squad scrimmage again on Sept. 13 before scrimmaging Princeton University on Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. at Karl Van Norman Field.

The Princeton scrimmage is free and open to the public.