On April 9, many of the locals made the trek to Martinsville for the Goody's Body Pain 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race held at the Martinsville Speedway. The event serves as an annual ritual which signifies the beginning of spring.

The race itself featured a record 17 caution flags. But despite the plethora of wrecks, the wrinkled sheet metal and the bowed-in bumpers, Martinsville wasn't the site of the most hitting occurring in the area that weekend.

Instead, that honor went to Rector Fieldhouse, the site of Saturday's football practice.

"That was some of the best hitting I've ever seen," longtime assistant Billy Hite said. "There were some good licks on both sides of the ball."

And that practice typifies Tech's spring.

So far in this young spring, the Hokies have practiced at full throttle. The coaches seem a tad bit more intense than normal. And the players seem to be responding.

"There's been a tremendous amount of effort," Tech head coach Frank Beamer said. "I've seen a lot of improving taking place. We've got most of our plays and schemes put in, so now's the time to watch these kids develop and grow."

All spring practices are critical. Ask any coach. But for a team which finished second in the national championship race, this spring means a little more.

First of all, there's a tendency to lay off the throttle and relax on the accomplishments of the past. Beamer and his staff plan to nip that tendency.

"We've talked about that," Beamer said. "We said last year is over. All those wins don't mean anything this year. We need to remember how we got to the championship, what it took. And I really think our kids have taken to that."

And then there's the need to replace all the players Tech lost off last season's squad. The Hokies need to find replacements at certain positions and develop depth overall. Spring is for the youth and every rep carries with it a certain degree of importance for this youthful group.

So after watching a handful of spring practices, here's some observations on this very important spring practice:

Nathaniel Adibi

The 6-foot-3, 242-pounder possesses the speed to come off the edge and the strength to bull rush anyone. But his quick first step and instincts stand out. He seems to be around the ball a lot.

Adibi also serves as a great example to other freshmen. He spent his redshirt year paying attention in those position meetings. He worked hard in the weight room, improving his bench press by more than 70 pounds and gaining weight. And he practiced hard even though he knew he wouldn't be playing on Saturdays.

And right now, he's Tech's top defensive end.

"That just motivates me to do better," he said. "I'm still learning things and I still mess up some, but not as much as in the fall. Chad [Beasley] and David [Pugh] have helped me a lot.

"I can't wait until the fall. This was my goal - to play big-time college football. I'll have some ups and downs, but that's what motivates me."

Also, Adibi may be the only defensive player who truly enjoys playing against Vick.

"If I can get to him, I can get to other people," he said.

2.) In addition to Adibi, there's been a couple of other surprises on the defensive line. Kevin Lewis, who enrolled in January, and Mark Costen, a walk-on who redshirted last season, continue to get better with each practice and continue to make plays. Though undersized at 267 pounds, Lewis possesses a quick first step and can chase down plays from behind. Costen, at 252 pounds, shows an element of toughness in there and reminds Tech coaches of John Engelberger, another former walk-on.

Both of those guys need to get bigger and they both tend to play too upright, making themselves easier to block. But keep an eye on them down the road.

3.) The guy having the best spring of any defensive player (according to this writer) is cornerback Larry Austin. Remember that Pittsburgh game when the Panthers seemingly went at Austin on every play? Well, the experience made him a better player.

Austin has improved his man-to-man coverage skills. He knocked away several passes in a recent practice and he gets better by playing against Tech's big, talented group of receivers. He'll end up making fans forget about Anthony Midget.

On offense, the guy having the best spring (again, according to this writer) is tailback Lee Suggs, with Wayne Ward right there. Both guys look great. André Kendrick, who's on academic suspension, should be sweating.

4.) Jamel Smith and Michael Hawkes used up their eligibility and left two huge holes in the linebacking group. But believe it or not, next fall's unit may be better.

Ben Taylor brings more athleticism to the backer position and seems to be a perfect fit for that position. Nick Sorensen has acclimated himself to the whip spot and needs only a little more seasoning there. And Brian Welch is flying around just seven months after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his knee. If the Hokies get Jake Houseright playing to his ability, watch out.

5.) Someone still needs to step up at safety, where Willie Pile holds the lead over Deon Provitt and Sam Fatherly. Pile knows the defense and works hard. The question is whether he'll make enough plays there. Provitt, having moved from receiver, has shown some signs of being very good there and needs experience, while Fatherly makes the typical freshman mistakes.

6.) Tech's offensive line resembles a well-oiled machine. This big, strong, veteran unit possesses a ton of individual talent and collectively may be the best ever at Tech.

But the guy to watch is Anthony Davis. The 6-4, 318-pound tackle continues to dominate people. The stronger, leaner Davis possesses a devastating "punch," which sends defenders backwards and his footwork enables him to handle speed rushers. More importantly, he carries with him a mean streak and tries to pancake everyone. He and Adibi engage in tremendous battles during practice.

How many other schools can bring a guy like Davis off the bench?

7.) Ronyell Whitaker figures to win the job as Tech's punt returner. Whitaker practiced that last season along with Ike Charlton and Ricky Hall.

But there are some others vying for the job. Receivers Emmett Johnson, Shawn Witten, André Davis and Terrell Parham work each day at returning punts. Also, Garnell Wilds gets his share of punts as well.

The best bet to back up Whitaker - Witten, with his soft mittens.

Ernest Wilord

Here's a sleeper to keep an eye on in the future for that role - Ernest Wilford. At 6-5, he possesses the long body to dive out for punts and his incredible jumping ability enables him to jump over a defender.

Here's an ultra sleeper for you - Anthony Thibodeau. The walk-on recorded the best time of any Tech player in the 10-yard sprint. He can get off the line and get to the punter quickly.

9.) Tech's coaches pride themselves on finding walk-ons and developing them into quality players (i.e. John Engelberger, Jarrett Ferguson, Browning Wynn, etc.). In fact, Randy King, a writer for The Roanoke Times, wrote about Marc Costen in a recent Tech Insider internet column. Others have written about guys like Steve DeMasi and Billy Hardee.

But watch out for Seth Noonkester, a 6-5, 255-pound walk-on from nearby Glenvar High in Salem, Va. Noonkester played quarterback in high school, so he possesses the athleticism. He works hard in the weight room, having put on 30 or 40 pounds since enrolling and having gotten stronger. The tight end needs to add a little more weight and learn the position a little better, but he should contribute in the future.

Andraé Harrison

In fact, Wilford, the guy with the most talent and the least experience as a receiver, struggles a bit getting off the line of scrimmage. Harrison shows a little more polish as a receiver, but he sometimes runs the wrong routes and drops a pass or two. Moody does that as well. They just need playing time.

"The toughest part is learning the plays and then executing them," Wilford said. "A lot of times, you have to read the defense and that can be difficult.

"But we're all working together. We want each other to get better. If one of us makes a great catch, then the others want to make a great catch as well. It's a group effort."