ORRICK – Varsity 8-man football coach Kirk Thacker and his Bearcats braved the elements to start this week’s practice schedule. In a chilly Monday afternoon autumn rain, the Bearcats honed their conditioning and worked on a few secret weapons on their practice field as they began prepping for district play Friday against visiting Southwest of Livingston County/Hale/Tina-Avalon. Sophomore Jaxon Miller, who threw a few passes as the Bearcats ran through a few gadget plays, found throwing a football in the rain challenging. “It felt like I was throwing (a) shot put,” Miller cracked. Catching the ball proved challenging, too, junior Mason Werle said. “It’s cold, so obviously, it’s going to hurt,” Werle said. “I mean, I’m probably going to go buy gloves.” The rainy day practice followed a bye week. Orrick, 6-2, got to study some Southwest/Hale/Tina-Avalon game video that week, Thacker said. The defending state champion Wildcats, 3-6, “do pretty much what we expected and what we’ve…