Sanford senior quarterback Xavier Levine looks to make a play with his legs during the Spartans scrimmage against Noble on Saturday. (SAM BONSEY/Journal Tribune)
BERWICK — With the first week of the high school football season less than two weeks away, Noble and Sanford faced off in a controlled scrimmage at Noble Middle School on Saturday.
No score was kept and no statistics were taken down, but for Noble head coach Keenon Blindow, the scrimmage served as a unique opportunity to see where his team stands against a Class A opponent.
“(Sanford’s) got a lot of talent,” said Blindow, who’s entering his first season as head coach. “We learned a lot. We had some success but there’s also a lot we need to fix. But being a week into the season, I think that’s what to expect.”
The first string offensive and defensive teams for both squads played for about an hour, before the backups and junior varsity players were substituted.
Both sides had 10 plays each series to practice various offensive and defensive schemes.
Unlike in an actual game, coaches were allowed on the field, taking notes and giving guidance to their players. At times, each side had multiple attempts to work on special teams plays such as punt returns or point afters.
Even though the scrimmage was more informal than he’s used to, Sanford head coach Mike Fallon said playing against another team early on is a great learning experience for his players.
“We tell our kids that you can practice for hours and hours, and days and days with each other, but it’s very hard to simulate game speed in practice,” Fallon said. “You can talk to them about adjusting, blocking schemes, things like that you can teach. But one thing you can’t create in practice is the speed.”
Fallon said there was a stretch during the scrimmage where he sensed a shift in momentum going towards Noble’s favor. The Knights had a few big plays, including long scrambles from quarterback Brandon Drake, but Fallon was impressed with the way his players responded to the challenge.
“Early on, you’re trying to measure the character of your team,” he said. “I liked it because we went on a drive after that and just kind of methodically worked our way down the field. Kids were focused, they were physical … it was good.”
For Noble, Blindow was looking to get out of the scrimmage with his players healthy. Two-a-days the past week have been “tough” on the team, he said, and a few key players were missing from the scrimmage. But he was encouraged with the new offensive plan he’s implementing.
Noble is working on a spread offense, and Blindow scripted the first 20 plays of the scrimmage to see how it panned out. Blindow lauded Drake’s ability to move out of the pocket on Saturday, and he thinks that side of the ball has plenty of upside as Noble approaches the regular season.
“The offense is good. We’ve got a lot of good athletes, but it’s going to take time,” Blindow said. “Like anything new, a new system like this is going to take time, but we’re excited about it.”
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