By Tony Burns
Sports Editor
EL DORADO - With the offense backed up against its own end zone, El Dorado’s defense forced back-to-back safeties and linebacker Johnathan Hall trotted into the end zone with an interception. That’s good for the defense and not so good for the offense. Coach Scott Reed explained that to his offense and the rest of the Purple-and-White Scrimmage went more to the coach’s liking Thursday at Memorial Stadium.
“The best thing offensively was after they had some adversity, they came together and they went to fighting. We had good protection and we stood in there and threw strikes. That was an entire offensive group,” Reed said.
“I’m exited. The best thing I saw was when I got after them, they got the message and went to work. I thought that was good. I think defensively, we were really good for the first 35 or 40 plays. We’ve got to get in better shape. But, they play well together. They play hard. They like what they’re doing.”
Overall, the scrimmage showcased a, potentially, tenacious defense. The Wildcats didn’t get many throws down the field and the rushing yards were hard to come by.
“I was really pleased with our defense. There were times early where they got to us in protection. They got to our quarterbacks and got us a little rattled,” said Reed. “I thought Terry Hampton was really good tonight. He was hard to block. I was impressed with him. I was impressed with our secondary. I thought our safeties played much better than they’d been playing. I was glad to see that, all of ‘em - (Bishop) Foster, (Peyton) Perry and (Ja’kal) Wade. I haven’t seen the film but I thought they were solid. I thought we ran to the ball well defensively. That was something I wanted to see.
“I thought Lake (Tucker) was good. He moves so much better than he did a year ago. I was impressed with him on the edge. I thought our front was really good. That whole group. It looked like they were comfortable and they played fast. I also thought we tackled pretty well in space.”
Offensively, Darius Holly and Jackson Waldrum took turns quarterbacking the first unit. Sophomore Wanya Frazier also got plenty of time.
“We had a ball slip one time and they had an interception but the quarterbacks did a good job of throwing to the right spots,” said Reed. “We missed a few throws, yes, but we didn’t throw it up for grabs. I was pleased with that. I don’t know what the stats look like and I don’t care. They’re going to get better because we’re playing against a really good front and a good defense. I think it’s going to help our offensive line and our entire offense. There’s no doubt about that.
“I was pleased with us taking care of the ball. That was a concern. But, offensively, I thought our guys were really good with the ball. I didn’t see the ball out. I didn’t see us carrying it sloppy. The concerns I had, at the start of the scrimmage, we made too many mistakes offensively. We made cuts that you can’t make. We had a crease and instead of taking it, we went sideways and we’d turn what should’ve been a four or five-yard gain into a no-gain. Those kind of plays are what ends drives.”
Running backs Anthony Thomas, Richard Kesee and Shun Levingston all had good runs on cutbacks against the defense. Kesee’s long run featured two cutbacks and a reversal of field to set up a touchdown.
“The more we snapped it, the better we got,” said Reed. “I thought late in the scrimmage, after I challenged them, the offense responded really well. They competed. They got serious. I think we’ve got to be more consistent. We have to be ready to play when the ball is kicked off. That’s where we are, right now. We didn’t start well.
“Later in the scrimmage, (the running backs) did a really good job. You can do all the inside drill and all the shells and the thud tempo, full speed is a different game. I was impressed with the speed of the game tonight. That was a good thing.”
After introductions, Barton’s eighth graders and El Dorado’s freshmen both had short scrimmages to preview the upcoming season before the senior varsity took the field. A large crowd showed up at Memorial Stadium to show its support.
“It’s awesome to have a scrimmage and have that many people here,” said Reed. “It’s impressive to be here and be apart of this. Other guys come here, and we’ve got four new assistant coaches and they’re like, ‘it’s not like this anywhere else.’ Our fans are awesome.”