Get the seat cushions ready and drag them out to Donell Woods Stadium tonight. The high school football season kicks off with a scrimmage between Liberty County High School and Bradwell Institute at 7 p.m.
Last year was the first time in five years the schools faced off on the gridiron. Liberty won 15-3.
This year, the game was to be on Olvey Field, but construction of a fieldhouse brought the game back to Donell Woods, giving Liberty another chance to defend its home turf against their cross-town rivals.
With the regular season approaching the scrimmage will give both coaching staffs the chance to hone their rosters. It’s an opportunity to measure how the players react when facing an opponent other than teammates.
“We use any scrimmage as a way to see what all we need to work on and improve in,” LCHS offensive coordinator Ryan Glazer said. “It’s a chance to hit and block other people besides our own guys.  We get to run our plays against a different team.”
With two viable candidates competing for the Panthers’ starting quarterback in Jerome Grant and Jordan Waters, the scrimmage will help determine who can handle the pressure and lead the offense for the rest of the season.
The Tigers have tapped Myrese Cobb as this year’s starter, but expect LeBaron Anthony to get some QB time as they work to develop the future of the team.
Sliding from defense to coach the offensive line, Tigers assistant coach Jeff Miller said he plans to see how well his O-line plays.
“How each individual performs his job and handles adversity,” is what Miller said he is watching for. “The past three weeks has helped us in determining the starters, but that can change when you get into game situations.  This will be a good chance to get all our players on film, because the big eye in the sky never lies.”
Glazer said they plan to mix in as many players as possible to see what they can do. “For the most part we have a pretty good idea who our starters are,” he said. “We are trying to find some more depth at certain positions.”
Tickets were sold at the schools all week. Any remaining tickets will be available at the gate for $5.