By Greg Taylor
Contributing writer
Last Friday, we were able to get our first live action look at the 2008 Indians football team when they scrimmaged both the Hampton Crabbers and Matoaca Warriors at Powhatan High School. Though this scrimmage was only a simulated game experience, it allowed the coaches and players to gauge where they are after two weeks of practice.
Their first scrimmage of the night was against Hampton, a perennial state title contender in Group AAA. The first team offense for Powhatan started off their fifteen-play series with a Shawn Minor designed QB bootleg which netted ten yards. The Indians continued their hard running chewing up yards behind a rebuilt offensive line leading to a touchdown by Shawn Henderson from three yards out.
The first team defense then took the field with Hunter Gordon at middle linebacker. They stopped Hampton in their tracks not allowing a first down until their thirteenth play while forcing a fumble which the Indians recovered. However, the series ended with Hampton scoring on two consecutive pass plays of 35 and 70 yards albeit against the second team secondary.
Both the second teams had a series against Hampton. The second team offense struggled to connect on passes and move the chains while the defense held its own against Hampton.
With the first scrimmage over, it was time for another Group AAA opponent to take the field, the Matoaca Warriors.
Powhatan’s first team offense took the field first and scored on its first possession when Minor found the end zone on a 10-yard naked bootleg.
The first team defense had no problem stopping Matoaca’s running game, but the defense continued to have problems in the secondary. Both Shawn Henderson and Shawn Minor gave up long pass plays which led to touchdowns. Unofficially, Matoaca threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns while scoring another on the ground in only one half of play.
The second team offense came onto the field and did a great job of moving the ball as Phillip Schoeffel guided the team to the final two scores; a Dustin Kingery 5-yard run and 47-yard run by freshman Landon Bradley.
The scrimmage was an excellent learning tool for both the players and coaches. The offense which has a solid running game with Henderson and Minor needs to find its passing game. Josh Ingram, Kurt Taylor and Hunter Gordon all had receptions but the lingering question is: who will step up in the regular season?
On defense, the secondary needs to be tightened up. Both the offensive and defensive lines had good outings with the defensive line penetrating into the backfield on numerous occasions.
However, what probably made the coaching staff happiest was they were able to have a live action scrimmage testing the players in the heat of battle and come out of the scrimmage without any major injuries.
That was a refreshing change of pace compared to last year and the first two weeks of practice which saw more injuries to players then at any time during Coach Woodson’s tenure.