Wheeler took the first step towards rebuilding its football program after back-to-back winless seasons during its two weeks of spring football practice that concluded on May 14.

It was new coach Mike Collins' first chance to observe the team that he inherited, a team that hasn't won a game since Nov. 2, 2007.

"We're in a building process," Collins said. "We laid the foundation and we had an opportunity to evaluate the talent that we have. We had a good spring practice, but it's a long process."

Collins, who was the Pebblebrook coach from 2005-07 before moving on to Chamblee for the next two seasons, may not have the chance to oversee that rebuilding process, however.

He was one of the many coaches who may be laid off by the Cobb County School District as part of its effort to reduce its budget deficit.

"I am going to continue to build this program and get ready for the 2010 season until I hear otherwise," Collins said. "I am the acting head coach at Wheeler and I hope things will work out."

Collins will be starting from close to scratch with a young and inexperienced team, but he said there is plenty of potential talent to work with and mold into a successful team.

"We're really young," Collins said. "But, that's a good thing for our rebuilding process. We've got some exciting young talent and I can't wait to watch them develop."

Collins emphasized practicing at a faster pace to get his young team used to the speed of play they will face during the season.

"The biggest thing was the pace of practice. One of our biggest goals was to practice at a fast pace with a lot of intensity. We want our guys to play with a lot of intensity on every play."

Another main area of focus for Collins was installing his new multiple option offense and multiple I defense.

"We worked on the basics of our offense and defense," Collins said. "The guys are picking it up, but we still have some work to do."

Whatever veteran presence that the young Wheeler squad will have will be on the defensive side, with senior strong safety Marcus Lambert and senior defensive lineman Kelvin Ofie providing leadership.

The offensive side will be even younger than the defense, with junior quarterback Luke Tarquinio the veteran among an inexperienced bunch.

However, Collins likes the potential he sees in his backfield, with sophomore tailback Jamal Bryant and sophomore fullback Hakeem Sahid showing much promise.

"I'm excited about both of them," Collins said. "They're young, but they are very talented."

Wheeler will move from Region 6AAAAA, along with fellow east Cobb teams Walton and Lassiter, to play in 5AAAAA this fall along with Marietta, Cherokee, Etowah and Woodstock.

While Wheeler will participate in some passing leagues this summer, the main emphasis for Collins will be strength and conditioning.

"The main thing will be lifting weights," Collins said. "We have to get stronger, so we will be spending a lot of time in the weight room."

Wheeler begins fall practice on Aug. 2 and hosts North Springs in a preseason scrimmage Aug. 13 before opening the regular season at Pope on Aug. 27.