Spring strides

Coaches pleased with Ada scrimmage

Joe Claxton ACS Publications Director Ada Evening News

Ada — Ada High head football coach Matt Weber was pleased with the progress shown in the eight spring practice sessions over the past two weeks.

“Overall, we saw a lot of good positives, but we also saw a lot of things we need to do a lot of work on,” Weber said of the brief scrimmage held Thursday at 1 p.m. Held on a good crop of rye grass on the soccer field with perhaps a half-inch of rain beneath, the spring-ending head knocking with full pads impressed the whole staff, including running backs coach Trey Owens.

“I thought for being this early there were a lot of spots that looked pretty good,” Owens said. “We made a lot of mistakes, but we expected that going in. Some of the guys who played a lot were the track guys and they had only been there for one day.

“I thought technically we were a little bit ahead of last year. It was good overall. Defensively, everybody chased the ball. They were chasing the ball like crazy, but you are always ahead a little on the defensive side in spring practice.”

As far as touches, it was a draw for the evenly-divided Maroon and White squads.

For the Maroon team, tailback Dionte Albert came off tackle through a big hole, jumped a felled defender at the line and went some 40 yards in the middle of the field.

A few plays later speedy soph Mason Girdley took a short pass from Hunter Bedsole to knot the TDs at one.

The Cougars threw the ball quite a bit during the short scrimmage, something Weber expects to do some 15 times per game or more.

At QB, senior Dillon Bolin, back in camp after a two-season absence, alternated with soph Bedsole for the White. For the Maroon, Wyatt Robson — fresh off the golf course where he placed fourth in the Class 5A State Tournament — and fellow sophomore Deangelo Dunn, split snaps.

If there was a No. 1 backfield, for the Maroon it was Robson, fullback Jake Niblett, a junior, and senior Albert.

For the White, it was Bolin, junior Chase Bowker at fullback and tailback Nathan Blakely.

On defense, a lot of part-time starters are back, but only DB Ronald Lucas and NG Cale Russell return. With Russell in a Maroon jersey, the staff found a more-than-capable couunterpart in White in Andrew Scribner, the only returnee from the offensive line. Both noses made big plays, steady work for their “squads.”

The only other returning starter on offense is Christian Johnson, wide receiver.

The Cougars welcomed several players back after a one- or two-year absence, including Nick Anderson back after a two-year absence. The leading scorer on the basketball team the past two seasons used his 6-3 frame to snag a pass for the Maroon and advance the ball up the sidelines.