With roster spots still up for grabs, a few Wichita County High School football players took advantage of the opportunity to shine during their annual Red and Black scrimmage on Friday.
“The defense, in particular, still had several question marks so we were waiting to see who might step up and play well in the scrimmage,” says head coach Gary Campas.
Junior Alec Horton (6-3, 210) played well as a defensive tackle and as a stand-up defensive end. In addition, senior Justin Beamer (6-0, 190) showed he may be ready to challenge for a starting role.
“After the first series he started attacking the ball pretty well. If he can keep playing like that he’ll earn a lot of playing time,” Campas says.
Freshman Bryce Mason (6-0, 165) was among several freshmen and sophomores who caught the attention of the WCHS coaching staff. After a tough start in the first series, the linebacker was much more aggressive and played well with the second unit.
“As some of these younger boys gain confidence they will be counted on to give us more depth at the varsity level,” says the Leoti head coach.
Campas was also impressed with the performance of freshman Jantz Budde who is the backup quarterback. He has a strong arm and the coaching staff may find opportunities to put him into a game which would allow them other options with starting quarterback Gabe Martinez.
Senior Blake Nickelson (6-2, 180) is making the transition from cornerback, where he played last season, to defensive end where his physical play is better suited.
“Our bigger boys still need to get in better shape and they know it. They were disappointed in the way they played but they want to get better and as they do it will help our defensive line,” Campas says. “If we can get the big boys to play more mobile and force the offensive line to double-team them that’s going to create more opportunities for our linebackers to make plays.”
The offense showed glimpses of what Campas hopes to see during the regular season with their triple option attack, but he also saw plenty of room for improvement. His biggest concern is the unit’s ability to make adjustments in blocking schemes.
“After the first series (defensive coordinator) Jason (Archuleta) had the defense jumping around in order to force the offense to audible and adjust blocking schemes,” Campas notes. “Gabe made a couple of nice line calls and turned them into good runs, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
Open With Satanta
The Indians will open their season Friday with a home game against Satanta in Hi-Plains League action. That will be followed by an abbreviated HPL schedule that also includes Stanton County, Syracuse and Elkhart before they begin a slate of five district playoff games.
The district schedule features Class 2A powerhouses Oakley and Ellis, followed by Atwood, St. Francis and Oberlin.
“It’s important to get off to a good start against teams we’re familiar with and build some momentum,” says Campas. “If we can get some confidence and learn to execute on offense and defense then we’re capable of playing with anyone.”