Liberty High School’s Panthers dropped their first game 26-7 to Westminster Friday, but the coaches did see value in the scrimmage.
Friday night’s loss helped head coach Kirk Warner see which positions where solidified and areas that still needs some work.
“We did some good things and some not so good things,” Warner said. “I think what hurt us was that we only had four full-pads practices so we were rusty in some areas. Typically there are not many good things you could say after a loss but we went in there looking for some specific things and found some answers,” he said.
One position that no longer has a question mark is the quarterback position. Returning after an elbow injury last year, Henry Barrett will take the reins again as the passer for the Panthers with Julian Stokes as his back up.
“I think Henry Barrett did an excellent job and Julian Stokes, our back up, was good and we feel comfortable putting either of those two guys in a game,” Warner said.
Warner said Roderick Jones did well as a tailback and that Brandon Roberts would be suited as a back up in that position, but that is still an area they are still working on.
“Jones did well but we still have to find two more capable back ups so the jury is still out on the tailbacks,” he said.
Fullback Byron Calahan played only a short time as he is still nursing an injury. Warner said back up Dimitri Lane played well in that position and played for the defense.
The coach was satisfied with the performance of his wide receivers and said it was a surprise to see how well they handled the ball and the blocks.
“The receivers caught the ball well and that was a pleasant surprise. Quinton Harris, Paul Davis and Eric Holloway all played well and Demetrius Stinson blocked well. They were the bright spots of the game.”
The regular season begins Aug. 31 with an away game against McIntosh Academy and Warner said he plans to watch how they scrimmage Bradwell to determine what preparations his team needs to make.
“We are going to go look at them (McIntosh) when they come to scrimmage Bradwell on Friday,” he said. “They had a lot of players graduate last year, so we will see who they have, what sets they run and answer some more questions after Friday.”
Friday night’s loss helped head coach Kirk Warner see which positions where solidified and areas that still needs some work.
“We did some good things and some not so good things,” Warner said. “I think what hurt us was that we only had four full-pads practices so we were rusty in some areas. Typically there are not many good things you could say after a loss but we went in there looking for some specific things and found some answers,” he said.
One position that no longer has a question mark is the quarterback position. Returning after an elbow injury last year, Henry Barrett will take the reins again as the passer for the Panthers with Julian Stokes as his back up.
“I think Henry Barrett did an excellent job and Julian Stokes, our back up, was good and we feel comfortable putting either of those two guys in a game,” Warner said.
Warner said Roderick Jones did well as a tailback and that Brandon Roberts would be suited as a back up in that position, but that is still an area they are still working on.
“Jones did well but we still have to find two more capable back ups so the jury is still out on the tailbacks,” he said.
Fullback Byron Calahan played only a short time as he is still nursing an injury. Warner said back up Dimitri Lane played well in that position and played for the defense.
The coach was satisfied with the performance of his wide receivers and said it was a surprise to see how well they handled the ball and the blocks.
“The receivers caught the ball well and that was a pleasant surprise. Quinton Harris, Paul Davis and Eric Holloway all played well and Demetrius Stinson blocked well. They were the bright spots of the game.”
The regular season begins Aug. 31 with an away game against McIntosh Academy and Warner said he plans to watch how they scrimmage Bradwell to determine what preparations his team needs to make.
“We are going to go look at them (McIntosh) when they come to scrimmage Bradwell on Friday,” he said. “They had a lot of players graduate last year, so we will see who they have, what sets they run and answer some more questions after Friday.”