Jordan Panucci grew up with the Internet and social media. The 26-year-old is one of the 1.5 billion with a Facebook page.

Among the things Panucci had to learn as the new Fitch High School football coach: how to tweet.

"I'm a little behind the curve," Panucci said with a laugh. "I should be all over it. I'm part of the first Facebook generation. I kind of always shunned the Twitter.

"(My sister Sara) created a Twitter for me so I can keep in touch with the players, let them know if, say, conditioning dates or passing league dates have changed. ? It's kind of a nice mode of communication with them. Send one message out and they all get it. It's also nice because I can see what they're doing."

Eighty-two high school football teams were permitted to begin conditioning Wednesday, among them East Lyme and Fitch. Both programs also begin the season with a new coach looking to put their stamp on the program while still acknowledging the past.

"We're going back to the old-school maroon helmets," first-year East Lyme coach Rudy Bagos said. "When I played at Ledyard (in the '80s), I had always known East Lyme to have maroon helmets. We're trying to get some of the past back into the program."

Panucci, a former Fitch player, inherits most of last year's staff and is joined by former teammates Rob Bridgeman and Justin Walz.

"We have a pretty strong alumni presence," Panucci said. "It's good for the kids to see, that it's a brotherhood."

Norwich Free Academy, Ledyard, New London, the St. Bernard/Norwich Tech co-op and Waterford were the other local schools that began conditioning Wednesday. They must have five sessions and cannot put on pads any sooner than next Tuesday.

Montville, Stonington, and the Valley Regional/Old Lyme co-op will begin conditioning next week. All three had spring practice and, as such, weren't eligible to get four extra days in the summer.

The season kicks off on Sept. 11.

East Lyme has become home for Bagos. He teaches health and physical education at the high school and was already its golf coach. He was also a football assistant for 11 years before becoming the head coach for the Old Saybrook/Westbrook co-op in 2011.

Bagos quarterbacked Ledyard's first CIAC state championship team (1987).

"I want the kids to know that they've got to be well-conditioned," Bagos said. "I'm going to put my excitement into the program. We had a coaches meeting (Monday), and we're all excited and talking about getting us out more on the field. Sometimes, at the beginning of practice, we're all talking together, figuring out what practice to do. I'm going to try to get the practice schedule done a week in advance and connect with the kids more."

East Lyme hasn't had a winning season since it played in the 2009 Class MM final. It finished 2-8 last fall.

"I want to change how we win and how we lose," Bagos said. "I don't want to be down 40-0 at halftime. I want these kids to play at 110 percent and give all they've got. If we're in the game, we're in the game. I don't just want to win games we're supposed to. I want to win games we're not supposed to."

This is Panucci's first head coaching job. He inherits a team that qualified for the Class L tournament and returns the majority of the offense, but graduated several defensive starters.

"The main thing that we're going to stress right off the bat, and we've been preaching the whole time, is an age-old one, accountability," Panucci said. "No one person is bigger than the program. It's not just an idea that lives on the field. Whether you're in the community or whether you're on the field ? your actions are going to directly affect others, whether it's a teammate, family, significant other, whatever it is. It's going to affect others. (Former coach) Mike Emery had the same philosophy."

n.griffen@theday.com