Scott City’s offensive potential was on full display for fans on Friday night during the annual Blue and White scrimmage.
Well, sort of.
“We didn’t show much,” admits head coach Glenn O’Neil, referring to the offensive package.
Nonetheless, the Beavers did show speed and power in what promises to be a big-play offense this season.
Senior fullback Jason Williams broke loose for a 49 yard run down the sideline which set up a nine yard touchdown run by quarterback Ron Baker.
Sophomore runningback Dalton Buehler had a 31 yard TD run while junior runningback Dalton Smith topped that when he turned the corner and didn’t stop until 55 yards later in the end zone.
And junior fullback Colborn Couchman showed his speed by breaking through the line for a 19 yard scoring run.
Despite some inconsistency in the passing game Baker did complete a 24 yard pass to wideout Kent Barmann while backup quarterback Brett O’Neil found Braeden Robinson open down the sideline for a 44 yard touchdown.
“The backs had a better scrimmage than the week before,” noted O’Neil.
Though he adds one can’t read too much into the success, or lack of success, by either the offensive or defensive units in a scrimmage such as this. Starters were split up on both sides of the ball which can create some miscommunication and an occasional mismatch.
“Ron (Baker) wasn’t throwing to the same people he’ll be throwing to on Friday night,” said O’Neil, pointing out that the starting quarterback was playing with the varsity backfield, but his varsity receivers were on the other side of the ball.
Among those were Robinson and tight end Luke Hayes who was on the receiving end of a 14 yard pass from O’Neil which showed the 6-4 junior has good hands to go along with his size.
Overall, the head coach was pleased with what he saw as the team enters their final week of practices in preparation for a tough season opener with Garden City. The offensive execution was better than a week earlier and “the hitting was definitely better.”
“We need to get more wear and tear on our bodies. We need to get accustomed to being physical again and being able to take punishment,” O’Neil says.
Line Making Progress
With the combination of speed and power, the SCHS running game is looking good behind an inexperienced, but improving, line.
“We have a lot of new guys on the line, but if they play the way they’re capable and continue to improve I feel we’ll have a lot of success together,” says Williams.
Williams is looking to improve on last year’s 737 yards rushing, which was No. 2 on the team, along with 13 touchdowns.
“I expect to do better than last year. I’m a senior and I’m expected to step it up to another level,” he says.
Of course, that success begins up front where the only returning starter is center Jake Drohman.
“I know a lot’s expected of us, but the younger players hit the weights hard this summer and they’ve improved,” says the senior. “And Dylan (Ellis) played some at the varsity level toward the end of last season and that helps.”
That’s not to say he’s completely satisfied with the progress of his unit.
“Jake pulled us all aside the other day and let us know that he wasn’t too happy with the way we were playing,” said sophomore left guard Michael McEachern. “He got our attention. We’re playing better, but we aren’t near where we want to be.”
He won’t get any argument from O’Neil who feels the offensive line needs to hold their blocks longer and must improve their pass protection, which was evident at times during the scrimmage.
“Sometimes we’re a step slow on our blocks and other times it’s just right,” he adds. “But with our depth it’s sometimes hard to get a good look at our offensive line. That’s why we have to put a lot of emphasis on their technique during (practice) drills.”
But O’Neil is encouraged.
“They have made a lot of progress since the start of two-a-days,” he says.
Passing Game Lags
Talent, athleticism and depth seem to be in good supply with Scott City’s receiving corps. What they lack is game experience.
While the Beavers will always rely on their running attack, they took advantage of Baker’s strong arm to roll up another 1,199 yards through the air last season. All but two receptions and 22 yards graduated from that squad, leaving Baker with a whole new set of targets.
“Obviously, we don’t have the experience, but we have a little more depth than a year ago,” says O’Neil.
Likely to be Baker’s top targets to start the season are Robinson and B. O’Neil.
“After losing so many seniors, it’s been an experience working with this many new guys,” notes Baker. “I worry sometimes about having so many new players on the field, but I’m confident we’ll be okay.”
The SCHS coach has been encouraged by the team’s progress during the past 10 days, but quickly adds they aren’t near as close to a finished product as they were a year ago at this time. That’s to be expected considering last year’s roster included 13 seniors.
Scott City returns only 3-4 players who saw significant minutes on the offensive side of the ball and 2-3 on the defensive side. And one of those defensive starters - senior outside linebacker Jacob Rios - won’t be available for 3-4 games because of an injury.