Franklin – For a small team like Andrews, a scrimmage like the one it had Friday night can be invaluable. Though the players are used to being on a team with not a lot of depth, they learn just what it takes to be successful on the field when they get experience in game situations.
“We try to put them in environments in practice that are going to be similar to games,” Wildcats head coach James Phillips said. “(But) there’s no substitute for varsity reps on Friday night. Our kids were able to get 70 or 80 good quality reps against a well-coached Franklin team.”
Andrews played four 12-minute quarters with a running clock against the Panthers. The teams started on their own 20-yard line on offense and stayed on the same side of the ball for the entire quarter. Both teams scored once, and the scrimmage ended in a tie.
“I was proud of the kids,” Phillips said. “There were a few things we messed up on. And there were times we had four freshmen out there, and they did well. I was proud of their fight, there are some things on film that we’ll have to get better at before we play Hickory this Friday.”
Phillips was pleased with his team’s execution on offense, as he said they executed well about 70 percent of the time. Isaac Weaver ran strong and looks poised to build on a strong spring, while Austin Martin also ran well after missing last year due to knee surgery. Phillips added that his team limited penalties, which is always important.
Of course, there were things to improve as well. He said the team needs to tackle better, especially in the open field. Andrews has a somewhat inexperienced offensive line, too, which struggled at times with blocking assignments.
“I think the positives definitely outweigh the negatives,” Phillips said. “We had a lot of young kids step up and get reps that had never been in a varsity type of environment and situation. It was good for them.”
The Wildcats open the 2021 season next week with a home game against the Hickory Hawks. Not to be confused with Hickory High School, the Hawks are an independent Christian football team in the Hickory area for “homeschool, private school and public school young men who want to play football in a Christian environment,” according to their team website.
“We have some film on them,” Phillips said. “They have some athletes skill player-wise that are dangerous. We have to defend well, we have to tackle well, and offensively we have to execute and be better blocking Friday night.”