Andrews – Yes, there’s a lot of kids playing in new roles this year for Andrews. Yes, they may have only 21 kids on their team.
But head coach James Phillips was pleased that in the Wildcats scrimmage on Friday night against Franklin his team still played “Wildcat football.”
It may not be as ruthless and efficient as last year, but Andrews still plays with the tenets Phillips has established as he enters his eighth year as head coach. That means being a physical team, one that continues to fight despite low numbers.
“I’m proud of these guys who have come out,” Phillips said. “They’ve sacrificed their summer, sacrificed their August right here to come out and fight with each other. They played pretty hard tonight.”
Andrews and Franklin started at their own 20-yard line and ran 10 plays each, then went to game situations from the same spot. Neither team scored during the 10-play part. Both teams picked up three first downs, and the Panthers got most of their yards on two big pass plays, while the Wildcats picked up most of their yards on two runs by Dalton Rose.
In the game situation part of the scrimmage, Andrews came out on top, 12-7. Rose just crossed the goal line for a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Wildcats ahead on their first drive, then Eli Brown’s three-yard run tied it up for Franklin on the Panthers’ third and final drive. On Andrews’ last drive, Everett Tatham found Graham Burch in the left corner of the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown.
Phillips likes what he saw out of Rose and Eli Aguilar running the ball, and thought Rose is adjusting well to being moved from offensive line to running back. Andrews threw more than the Wildcats usually do during the scrimmage to get Tatham more experience as he settles in at quarterback, and there were some good moments as well as times where he needed to make a better read.
On defense, Andrews mainly prevented big plays but wore down a little bit on Franklin’s final drive. That, along with Phillips saying some players not lining up in the right spots near
the goal line, allowed the Panthers to punch it in. The coach added that the players’ conditioning isn’t where they want to be yet, but it’s headed in the right direction.
With barely enough players to field a first and second team, just being able to have a situation where players can settle into their roles outside of practice is crucial for Andrews. Juniors William Wood and Antonio Hernandez look to be slotted in on the offensive line after playing in reserve last year, with Hernandez seeing time on the defensive line. Jerry Cable, Will Roberts and Kencade Watkins got most of the first team snaps at linebacker.
Samuel Preston showed some flashes as a player who can play anywhere on offense and in the secondary on defense. Any experience is good experience, and that’s what the Wildcats are hoping as they prepare to host Rosman in the season opener next week.
“We can’t obviously simulate this in practice,” Phillips said. “So getting out here in the grass and getting somebody in a different-colored jersey is the best way to get in experience. Hopefully, we’re a little better now than we were two hours ago.”