Sodas, snacks, the sound of the crowd, the blow of the whistle and the snap of the ball brought Olvey Field to life Friday as the Tigers clawed into the McIntosh Buccaneers with a 13-7 win in the varsity scrimmage and a 6-0 win for the JV.
The Varsity
The varsity Tigers, under the offensive leadership of Josh Magaw, put up 13 points but they struggled at times with blocking both on the line and in the backs, causing for several three and out offensive runs.
Head coach Jim Walsh said his offense did some things well, but there are certain things they definitely need to work on as they prepare to enter the regular season next week.
“Some of our younger guys did not get the calls right or get the call at all,” he said. “These are things we really need to work on this week in practice, but all these things are correctable.”
Walsh said the weather this past month had an impact on the team’s ability to get more practice time in full gear or to practice at all. Last week practice was canceled due to the lightning and for most of the beginning of August the heat index was in the triple digits forcing the team to practice later in the day and in helmets and shorts only.
The bright point for the offense was the running ability of Sheldon Barnes who ran one in for a touchdown from the Tigers own 25-yard line and later ran in the second touchdown. The first point after attempt by place kicker Joey Lliso was wide to the left but he made up for it by kicking it through the uprights after the second score. Mike McGirt had a great run up the middle for a first down. Walsh said that he was pleased on Magaw’s control of the offense and the ball. He decided to keep Magaw in for the entire game as the quarterback to give Magaw more opportunities to get the snap.
“The more snaps a starting quarterback gets the better he will develop and play,” Walsh said. “Magaw did not get many snaps last year so we felt it would be good for him to stay in the whole game and get as many as possible.”
Magaw demonstrated his versatility as an all around athlete as he not only took the snaps, but also played on the defense and was the punter as well.
The defense really showed their strength with hard hits and holding the Buccaneers scoring drive until late in the fourth quarter. Terry Murdaugh had an interception deep in the Tigers territory taking away yet another scoring opportunity from the Buccaneers and in the third quarter Magaw made a touchdown saving tackle as the safety. David Swinford made a fumble recovery for the Tigers after the Buccaneers quarterback was hit hard and dropped the ball.
Walsh said that he felt good about the punting game as Magaw had good protection giving him enough time to get the ball off and doing so with some height and distance. But because the defense had spent more time on the field than the offense, fatigue began to set in as the fourth quarter began. Coach Walsh said that they began to put in more substitute players and the Buccaneers offense was able to pick up on it and advance the ball for their first and only touchdown and extra point.
Penalties were another critical factor that kept hurting the Tiger’s offense. During their possession of the ball in the fourth quarter the Tigers were penalized three times and at one point is was third down with 32 yards to go and 1:22 on the clock. Because of those penalties the Buccaneers had a chance to score again with a minute left on the clock. The Tigers defense held strong and the offense took the ball again with 4.2 seconds left in the game; Magaw took a knee to end the scrimmage.
After the game Magaw said the weakest area was the offense but that he felt it would improve.
“The offensive develops with repetition, if we keep coming out here everyday and work hard the offensive will come together and improve,” he said. He was happy with the protection he received as a punter indicating that improvements were made in that area and said that defensively they have t o overcome issues with fatigue as they prepare to play against some of the tougher opponents.
Looking at the JV
The Tigers backup quarterback Trivon Williams took the reigns for the JV game and displayed his ability to scramble out of the pocket and still make effective throws. Running back Antonio Brown was able to break through the defenders and provided several key blocks to open up the running game and charge the Tigers downfield. Williams then connected with Alec Velasco for a pass that lead to the game-winning touchdown.
The Varsity
The varsity Tigers, under the offensive leadership of Josh Magaw, put up 13 points but they struggled at times with blocking both on the line and in the backs, causing for several three and out offensive runs.
Head coach Jim Walsh said his offense did some things well, but there are certain things they definitely need to work on as they prepare to enter the regular season next week.
“Some of our younger guys did not get the calls right or get the call at all,” he said. “These are things we really need to work on this week in practice, but all these things are correctable.”
Walsh said the weather this past month had an impact on the team’s ability to get more practice time in full gear or to practice at all. Last week practice was canceled due to the lightning and for most of the beginning of August the heat index was in the triple digits forcing the team to practice later in the day and in helmets and shorts only.
The bright point for the offense was the running ability of Sheldon Barnes who ran one in for a touchdown from the Tigers own 25-yard line and later ran in the second touchdown. The first point after attempt by place kicker Joey Lliso was wide to the left but he made up for it by kicking it through the uprights after the second score. Mike McGirt had a great run up the middle for a first down. Walsh said that he was pleased on Magaw’s control of the offense and the ball. He decided to keep Magaw in for the entire game as the quarterback to give Magaw more opportunities to get the snap.
“The more snaps a starting quarterback gets the better he will develop and play,” Walsh said. “Magaw did not get many snaps last year so we felt it would be good for him to stay in the whole game and get as many as possible.”
Magaw demonstrated his versatility as an all around athlete as he not only took the snaps, but also played on the defense and was the punter as well.
The defense really showed their strength with hard hits and holding the Buccaneers scoring drive until late in the fourth quarter. Terry Murdaugh had an interception deep in the Tigers territory taking away yet another scoring opportunity from the Buccaneers and in the third quarter Magaw made a touchdown saving tackle as the safety. David Swinford made a fumble recovery for the Tigers after the Buccaneers quarterback was hit hard and dropped the ball.
Walsh said that he felt good about the punting game as Magaw had good protection giving him enough time to get the ball off and doing so with some height and distance. But because the defense had spent more time on the field than the offense, fatigue began to set in as the fourth quarter began. Coach Walsh said that they began to put in more substitute players and the Buccaneers offense was able to pick up on it and advance the ball for their first and only touchdown and extra point.
Penalties were another critical factor that kept hurting the Tiger’s offense. During their possession of the ball in the fourth quarter the Tigers were penalized three times and at one point is was third down with 32 yards to go and 1:22 on the clock. Because of those penalties the Buccaneers had a chance to score again with a minute left on the clock. The Tigers defense held strong and the offense took the ball again with 4.2 seconds left in the game; Magaw took a knee to end the scrimmage.
After the game Magaw said the weakest area was the offense but that he felt it would improve.
“The offensive develops with repetition, if we keep coming out here everyday and work hard the offensive will come together and improve,” he said. He was happy with the protection he received as a punter indicating that improvements were made in that area and said that defensively they have t o overcome issues with fatigue as they prepare to play against some of the tougher opponents.
Looking at the JV
The Tigers backup quarterback Trivon Williams took the reigns for the JV game and displayed his ability to scramble out of the pocket and still make effective throws. Running back Antonio Brown was able to break through the defenders and provided several key blocks to open up the running game and charge the Tigers downfield. Williams then connected with Alec Velasco for a pass that lead to the game-winning touchdown.