WORCESTER, Mass. – For football players, there is nothing like the first day of hitting. For the Holy Cross football players, the first day of hitting at spring practice brought out the excitement of a Christmas morning for the players, who have been lifting and running for months since the season ended. 

"I mean, it's a lot of fun. This is the first day of full pads," said center Christo Kelly. "It's when you get to see everyone's progression. Throughout the offseason, you know, you're in the weight room four days a week. You're running early morning runs and this is the reward. The weight room is you're putting money in the bank, and this is when you get to pull it out. This is when you get to show what you've been doing and all the work you've done."

"Yeah, since we started spring football back up, I don't think I've been able to wipe the smile off my face," quarterback Joe Pesansky said. "So exciting to get back out there, put the pads on. Putting the pads on today is probably one of the coolest things we're going to do for a very long time. Today, everybody's playing football. Today, the pads are going to be doing their thing."

"Everybody's hyped to put the pads on,"  said wide receiver Justin Shorter. "It's our first day in full pads, everybody's ready to just let that juice go, and actually be able to make a full tackle."

Holy Cross plays its spring game on April 13.