For the next few weeks, Scrimmage Play will be hitting the road hard to get a look at all the football training camps in Central Virginia. We’ll be bringing back observations, notes and photos from each one of them they get to. Keep checking back to see what’s brewing for this 2012 football season.
Albemarle scrimmages Charlottesville, 8/17, 7 p.m.
For the first half, both offenses were in a groove. Playing in another exhibition benefit game, Charlottesville and Albemarle both found the endzone on their opening drives. Thanks to a turnover the Patriots tacked on two more scores while Charlottesville added on more of its own in the first half. The second half largely belonged to Albemarle with its second stringers playing particularly well late. The final sat at 41-28 with Patriots coach Mike Alley pleased with the way his team handled Charlottesville’s athleticism and Black Knights coach Eric Sherry excited about his team’s offense, but noting that the defense still had some catching up to do.
For Albemarle, Peyton Alley looked strong as the team’s starting quarterback, selling play-action and working off bootlegs to get the ball down field. Dominique Talley had a pair of receiving touchdowns including a 41-yarder in the first. But between the passing TDs the Patriots were truly committed to the run between running backs Nico Troche and Drake Bryant. Troche was a chain mover throughout the first half and Bryant looked sharp in the second half in goal line situations.
Charlottesville’s offense took the opening kickoff and marched all the way down field thanks to the play of Rashard Davis at quarterback. Davis had two TD passes in the first half and a pair of long runs to set those up. Junior running back Christ Thurston had a pair of rushing touchdowns in the game and looked strong running through would be tacklers. Sherry noted that he felt his running back could be “one of the most dynamic” in the Jefferson District this season.
The Patriots defense forced two turnovers on the night including a fumble in the first quarter and an interception in the fourth. Conversely, the Black Knights landed one interception.
With Albemarle’s arrival to the Jefferson District in 2013, next season these two teams will play a regular season game as they did for so many years before 2011. Both teams will jump right into regular season play this Friday. The Patriots head over to Western Albemarle to kick off their year while Charlottesville gets a home opener against E.C. Glass.
Monticello scrimmages Rustburg, 8/17, 7 p.m.
Make no mistake — in spite of the 48-19 score, Rustburg came out of the blocks and hit Monticello in the mouth.
Rustburg’s Anthony Lovelace ripped off an 84-yard run for a touchdown and then pinned Monticello on its own 15-yardline.
The Mustangs didn’t panic at all. Monticello promptly pieced together an 11-play, 85-yard drive over five minutes and 32 seconds highlighted by a fourth-down conversion and two fade passes from Jhalil Mosley to James Banks. The second of those connections capped the drive with a 23-yard touchdown.
Monticello’s ability to respond quickly to Rustburg’s early score says a lot about where Monticello is headed. With a defense still trying to find its footing after giving up a lot of points in 2011, the offense will be forced to execute and answer like that at times this year. If they can, Monticello will be very dangerous.
The run game looked good on the whole against Rustburg, averaging 7.9 yards per carry as a team. T.J. Tillery rushed 16 times for 83 yards while Mosley had 66 yards on just six carries. Mosley was even better through the air, going 8 for 10 for 161 yards and four touchdowns with no picks. He also had a 72-yard punt return for a score.
Monticello takes a week off before facing off with Albemarle on August 31.
Fluvanna County scrimmages Spotswood, 8/17, 7:30 p.m.
Fluvanna County’s defense couldn’t have been much better. The Flucos stuffed the gaps and clamped down on Spotswood. In fact, Fluvanna’s defense didn’t allow a single point, with the Flucos’ surrendering a safety near the end of the night.
Devin Goode was electric, from his middle linebacker spot, slipping through cracks and coming up with several big stops. But for the most part, it was truly a team effort — a shutout driven by the Fluvanna defense playing solid assignment football.
The offense is still working out some of the kinks, but some deliberate, pre-determined mass substitutions impacted the unit’s momentum at times. Both Dashon Tibbs and Austin Foster made solid plays at quarterback, with Tibbs orchestrating a methodical second quarter drive that was cut short by a quarter change. Tibbs also showed a deft ability on the playfake and an ability to escape pressure and turn a negative play into something positive.
Foster tossed a touchdown pass to Christian Franco, scrambling and creating on the run. He also made a great play at one point, slipping a couple of tackle attempts before completing a delayed screen pass while in the grasp of yet another defender.
The preseason is now over for the Flucos, who face Prince Edward Friday in the first official game under the lights at the new school.
Louisa scrimmages Heritage at Monticello, 8/16, 7 p.m.
That was a solid test.
Louisa County squared off with Heritage out of Lynchburg as part of a tri-scrimmage along with Stuarts Draft last night at Monticello and facing off against an athletic Pioneers roster brought out the intensity from the Lions.
The Louisa staff was letting defenders know, emphatically, they were out of position and there were discussions with officials about how long teams were taking between plays. Plus, every solid tackle and stop was met with wild celebration by whoever came up with.
It wasn’t a typical low-key scrimmage by any means.
That tends to happen sometimes when two rosters led by fiery coaches (Brad Bradley, formerly of Amelia and William Campbell took over at Heritage back in spring) are trying to take their frustration from weeks of hitting each other in practice out on an opposing squad.
Louisa had a lot of bright spots, unleashing several big hits in the secondary, and the Lions did an admirable job of containing a speedy Heritage backfield. Zack Jackson’s confidence and mastery of the offense at quarterback is noticeably improved. The offensive line in front of Jackson isn’t huge but they’re technically sound, which they proved going against a big athletic Heritage front.
Some questions have clearly been answered since Midnight Madness back in July, but Louisa is still working out and re-tooling certain positions.
Last night’s big test likely provided a few more answers.
St. Anne’s-Belfield practice, 8/14, 4-6 p.m.
St. Anne’s-Belfield coach John Blake expects efficiency, at the very least, out of his run game. He wants something he can turn to and know exactly what he’s going to get.
That’s why, with a lot of new faces stepping into starting spots, Blake and the Saints spent a big chunk of the second half of Tuesday’s practice running half-line drills that worked exclusively on the interior ground game. The drill allowed the Saints to focus on blocking assignments at the point of attack and work with a pair of new running backs in Justin Paton and Bobby Nicholson on hitting the hole with authority.
With Jake Allen orchestrating the offense and providing another run threat as the returning starter at quarterback, the Saints have the potential for a potent ground attack.
In STAB’s offensive team scrimmage session that closed out practice, Rob Schotta was impressive as a receiver, hauling in a couple of solid catches during the segment.
STAB will get its first shot against a different set of uniforms against Buffalo Gap Saturday at Riverheads’ jamboree that also includes Western Albemarle.
William Monroe versus Monticello scrimmage, 8/13, 6 p.m.
It’s just an opening scrimmage but Monticello made a solid first impression Monday night up in Stanardsville against William Monroe. The Mustangs unveiled a varsity roster deep on size as a group of young, big players have emerged at the right time for Monticello. The Mustangs, quite simply, have size and depth, particularly up front, where beyond returning starters like Sam Marshall and Austin Mays stand some big, tall young guys who appear to be well on their way toward becoming good football players.
Behind that line, the replacements for 2,000-yard rusher Isaac Robinson made their first live appearance of the year, with projected starter T.J. Tillery, an absolute force on defense, splitting time with 2011 junior varsity standout Dee Glover in the first team offense. Tillery flashed the same speed and efficient running style that made him a formidable presence at fullback last year. Glover was also explosive, with a good combination of power between the tackles (he had at least one rugged, power run up the middle) and speed on the edge (on his touchdown run he outlegged the Monroe defense to the sideline and then turned it up for a score).
Jhalil Mosley unleashed a long touchdown run during the scrimmage too, reaching the sideline before cutting back and weaving through several Monroe defenders. He looked typically confident and decisive but perhaps more patient than he was in 2011. Alex McNair, along with a number of other players, looked excellent on defense, and he had a fantastic catch at tight end where he bowled over the Monroe defensive back attempting to bring him down. Denzel Terry had an interception.
The Mustangs’ tempo flagged at times against Monroe — you could hear head coach Rodney Redd letting his squad know that he was frustrated with the pacing at least once — but that’s a pretty typical first scrimmage problem.
Despite Monticello’s size advantage, William Monroe performed well, particularly in the ground game where some key sophomores are taking over in critical spots. It wasn’t the explosive showing that the Dragons unveiled last year in the same scrimmage at Monticello, but Monroe is plugging some holes after the graduation of 14 seniors. A group of young backs — some of them unorthodox, road-paving style ball-carriers — showed a great deal of promise with several substantial runs.
There’s some work to be done in the passing game as quarterback Jack Morris gets used to a series of new starters and builds rapport with his new pass catchers. That chemistry should improve before the season opener against Nelson County and lead to a little more efficiency in that part of the offense.
Defensively the Dragons struggled at times with the Mustangs’ speed, but a lot of teams likely will in 2012. Monroe’s front seven looked disciplined and sound from a tackling perspective.
Fluvanna County, 8/11, 11 a.m.
Jovan Burton’s 80-yard touchdown sprint for Fluvanna County in the Flucos’ scrimmage with Fort Defiance Saturday morning has to be one of the best signs in recent memory for the Fluvanna football program.
If it had stopped there though, it could be written off as an early fluke, but the good signs kept coming for the Flucos as they put together a promising performance against the Indians, a squad that pulled out a narrow win over Western Albemarle in 2011.
Austin Foster and Dashon Tibbs, as expected, split time as the first team quarterback, with both playing well. Tibbs had a rugged, tough inside run off a read-style play for about 20 yards and completed several timing patterns, showing a good mastery of the offense. Foster also looked comfortable too, particularly when he was in the pocket, completing several passes for solid gains.
Burton’s explosive run was the flashiest play, but the consistent effort from a defensive front seven that did a good job of stuffing holes and making sure tackles near the line of scrimmage was the most encouraging performance for Fluvanna. Devin Goode set the tone with a tackle for no gain early and Jalen Harrison came up with a sack where he ran down the Fort Defiance quarterback from behind. Joey Shaheen also blanketed a Fort wideout down the sideline with near perfect position on a deep ball that gave the receiver no shot at making a play.
There were lapses, of course, too, as several Fort Defiance pass catchers ran free and clear at times through the secondary. Still, lapses are typical of a first scrimmage, and the Flucos should get a lot out of film study from this matchup.
Nelson County, 8/10, 6 p.m.
Nelson County has a tough out-of-district schedule to prepare for and the Governors got a solid first test Friday night at home in a scrimmage with Buffalo Gap.
Tyler Vest certainly looked prepared as the quarterback/free safety put together several big runs on offenses and several big hits on defense. Vest uncorked a powerful right shoulder on a Gap ball carrier trying to fight off a low tackle and forced a fumble during Gap’s first set of 10 plays on offense. Nelson pounced on the fumble there.
The Governors were playing without some key personnel including their three top pass catchers and in turn had to get pretty vanilla on offense. But Devonte Turner ran well in addition to Vest while linemen Homer Barnett and Daniel Ellis helped to open up some holes against a packed in Buffalo Gap front seven.
Nelson will need to diversify a bit on offense and shore up the secondary that allowed Gap receivers to get loose for a couple of touchdowns, but once some of those skill position guys get back in the mix on both sides of the ball, that should solve itself.
Albemarle, 8/8, 10 a.m.
Albemarle finished the 2011 season on a solid note with a win over Massaponax on senior night. It was the team’s signature win for the year and as the Patriots take to their second week of camp, their coach, Mike Alley now in his third season, is excited about the makeup of his current roster. As it stands now there isn’t any one athlete that Alley has circled as the team’s standout player. For Alley, that’s a sign of the kind of depth that was missing when he first took over the program in 2010. As Albemarle worked on defense and special teams on Wednesday morning, it was clear just from a numbers count that the Patriots have new found confidence. The return of Dominique Talley, who was at Covenant but has transferred back to Albemarle, is another sign that Central Virginia’s largest school is continuing to take the steps to compete in an exceptional Commonwealth District.
Arguably the best thing going for the Patriots starting out is their depth up front on the offensive and defensive line led by athletic big man Ryan Londree. With Lee Carneal graduated, it’s up to Peyton Alley to step in at quarterback. The Patriots new signal caller has help at the receiver position with lengthy AJ Willy and a potential burner in lacrosse phenom Matt Crist. Nico Troche, Drake Bryant and Talley all should figure into a formidable the rushing attack.
Linebackers Eli McKay and Jordan Shelton have Alley excited about the middle of his team’s defense while Bryant and Benton Shanck give the Patriots both experience and depth in the secondary.
With another handful of returning starters spread across both sides of the ball, it will be interesting to see if Albemarle has one player rise way above expectations or if this squad excels behind its depth. Either way, Charlottesville will find out in the exhibition benefit game shortly with Albemarle gearing up to exact revenge on Western Albemarle in the season opener August 24.
Covenant, 8/8, 9 a.m.
Not since 2008 has Covenant had the same football coach in back-to-back years. Coincidentally, that was also the last time the Eagles had a winning record. But last year Dave Rocco took over the program to offer it instant credibility in terms of coaching, and with him now at the helm as the school’s new athletic director, there’s stability and continuity that the school can look forward to. And it’s showing early in Covenant’s camp.
As Rocco added more qualified assistant coaches to his staff this year, the second year coach has set it up so that he can coach on a larger scale, overseeing the entire operation as opposed to being locked down much of the time coaching just one set of position players. Of course, after weathering the aftermath of the mass exodus of the class of 201 two years ago, continuity also comes in the form of so many players returning.
Last year, John Meade’s play at the line of scrimmage was a bright spot for the Eagles, and his return has the Eagles excited as they look for a way to make him as dangerous as possible. A senior who’s drawn interest from Richmond and Georgetown, Meade is explosive on the defensive line but Rocco would like to find a way to make him the same on the other side of the ball, moving him over to tight end if the Eagles can find enough depth along the offensive line. If Meade can slide over, that should help whoever winds up under center.
In just the third day of camp, Brady Doyle and Gus Rose are locked in a battle at quarterback. They’ll be aided by a backfield that picked up a lot of experience last year between Austin Llera and Jamie Gaston. The transfers of brothers Drew and Jay Gaffney from Monticello should also provided a pair of skilled playmakers for either Doyle or Rose to work with downfield.
With a lot of players playing on both sides of the ball, defensively this team returns the bulk of its secondary, linebacking corps and a good chunk of its rotation along the line. This isn’t a big team, either in numbers or overall size, but the Eagles have a lot of speed and athleticism at each position which should go a long way to compensate.
One thing is certainly evident though, after last year’s massive rebuild, there’s a quiet confidence among the players and coaching staff that was missing in previous seasons. It looks like this program is on its way back up.
Western Albemarle, 8/7, 7 p.m.
Western Albemarle took to practice on an exdeedingly muggy, damp Tuesday night looking to fine tune things and prepare for their upcoming scrimmage with Broadway. First year coach Ed Redmond is trying to whip an already athletic team into even better shape and noted that he was happy with how much crisper the drills and repetitions were looking. He called it a “definite improvement” from what he saw last week.
The Warriors have a lot back, particularly on offense between quarterback Kent Henry and wide receivers Daniel Kuzjak and Nick Drapanas. They also have a new lineman, St. Anne’s-Belfield transfer Josh Gibson to give them a proven commodity up front. In addition to Gibson, the Warriors look reasonably big on the line and so with the athleticism they have in Henry and the other skill positions, this group could put together a lot of problems for opposing defense in terms of versatility. But they could also stick to what’s worked the last three years for them in the Jefferson District, airing out the ball in the spread and picking up the rushing yards at quarterback. Time will tell what Redmond has planned.
Western finished up Tuesday with a daunting conditioning drill, a shuttle-run/pushup combination that looked about as enjoyable as it sounds. Senior Trevor Harlow finished out in front by a healthy margin with Henry not far behind. With the team’s first scrimmage just around the corner, those kind of drills that haunt all players during the start of training camp, should pay off come each fourth quarter.
Buckingham County, 8/6, 7 p.m.Long time Knights coach Craig Gill put his team through the grind for the first week of camp, getting in 10 practices over a five day stretch to set the tone for the 2012 season. That’s a solid start for one of the area’s most consistent programs since 2009.
Buckingham lost a good chunk of their roster last year, a team that made the playoffs for the third straight year. Lineman Thomas Midkiff, receiver L.A. Briley and quarterback/safety Tarian Ayres highlight some of the voids. But while this team looks a little bit different personnel wise, it appears as though Gill and company are right where they want to be. The return of Kenneth Johnson and Kyree Koonce gives Buckingham two elite running backs. The two spelled one another out last year, but things will be different this year as the Knights want teams to have to account for both them, as either runners or catching the ball out of the backfield.
With Cam Johnson making the move from receiver to quarterback, Buckingham now has three athletes that run a 40-yard dash with around 4.5 speed, making this backfield as athletic as any you’ll find in the area. While most of the focus during practice was on fundamentals on defense, when the first stringers went back to offense to end Monday’s session, it’s clear that this trio is going to be a solid engine of offense. Cam Johnson showcased accuracy during the Scrimmage Play 6 quarterback camp in July, and when he dropped back to pass today, he had great touch on his passes. Both Kenneth Johnson and Koonce know how to explode through the holes provided the offensive line, but it will be interesting to see how often either gets used as a receiver in the flat, because both can fly down field.
Given this team’s success over the last few years, the Knights aren’t going to catch anyone by surprise, but Gill made it clear that this team will have a different style and personality given the various departures and new faces. During their postseason run, the Knights have leaned alternately on offense or defense, always finding ways to pile up wins. With this Johnson, Johnson and Koonce trio, it looks like the offensive part of the equation is already figured out.
Charlottesville, 8/2, 7 p.m.
Second year coach Eric Sherry and his staff have a different walk about them. The former Massaponax assistant didn’t have the liberty of running a full offseason after his hiring in 2011. This time around its different. And so are the helmets, the logo, the new playing field and so on. Sherry said in his first press conference that he wanted Charlottesville to tap into the school’s history dating back to its link to former high school powers Lane, and the school it absorbed just under 50 years Burley.
They have just about everyone back from a what wasn’t just a year about a new coach coming in, but a significant rebuild. With Sherry’s option terminology no longer a foreign language, a now seasoned offensive and defensive line and a slew of athletes spread around the field, this team looks different regardless of the new flat black helmets and logo.
In day four of training camp, the Black Knights worked from late afternoon all the way until sundown, sharpening the fundamentals and finishing with a no-tackle scrimmage where quarterback Rashad Davis looked like a breakout talent for this team. As excited as Sherry is about Davis, the new talent he has coming up and the development of so much returning talent has the coach smiling. Sherry noted that the difference between the end of the regular season last year and the start of training camps was “just light years.”
Sherry also noted that his players are going about camp routines with a different attitude from last year and with that yielding different results. This team is more polished and clearly ready to improve. There are a lot of coaches, both inside the Jefferson District and outstide, talking about how wide open the field may well be. If Charlottesville has taken the steps, they could well be the kind of factor they were in 2009, if not better. Just a week into camp, if your looking for an early dark horse to be better than advertised, CHS just might be it.
Monticello, 8/2, 11 a.m.
The heat wasn’t cooperating with Monticello’s squad Thursday morning, but that didn’t stop the Mustangs from having a solid practice on the turf.
Monticello capped practice with an offensive-focused scrimmage session, with Jhalil Mosley running the show at quarterback, while T.J. Tillery worked into his new spot at tailback after a year as the squad’s fullback in 2011.
Like he does on defense where he’s established himself as one of the area’s best, Tillery looked sharp at tailback, making solid cuts and moving well in traffic. Mosley also got in on the ground game act where he scored once on a solid zone ready that he broke open over the right side. The offensive line was in sync most of the time, which isn’t a surprise with the area’s top returning center Sam Marshall running things up front. The defense did pick Mosley off once as the senior quarterback and his largely new receiving corps are still getting on the same page, but overall, Monticello appears to be starting to pull things together nicely.
Madison County, 7/31, 7 p.m.
The Madison County coaching staff will be happy when they can put together a full day of camp. Two days into the Mountaineers training camp the weather has refused to cooperate with a pair of storms on consecutive days had the team running off the field for shelter on a school bus and waiting out the mandatory 30 minute delay on multiple occasions.
Madison heads into its 2012 season after having a disappointing campaign in 2011. Before going 3-7 the Mountaineers had back-to-back playoff appearances and hope they’ve got enough returning and enough new talent to rediscover their old form. It should help that the bulk of the roster along the line of scrimmage returns and so do the key members of the linebacking corps and offensive backfield.
But coach Stuart Dean makes a valuable point about having so many players return – this team has to find something new, because for this group to go 3-7 again would be frustrating for all involved. According to Dean, one of the focal points for this team during camp is to develop a chemistry that just didn’t develop last year. Dean wants to see his players worry less about their statistics and more about getting the little things done to improve the bigger picture.
With a senior trio of quarterback Dustin Farmer and two-way talents in Josh Lillard and J.P. Utz, the leadership can start there and work its way down. Madison is experienced upfront, but will need contributions from new or young talent at various skill positions. If they get that and the seniors find a way to tap into the intangible that is when a team gels, the Mountaineers should be talented enough to get back into the top end of the Bull Run District standings.
But all of that is still a long way down the road. For now, Madison will just take a day where they can have a full practice.
Fluvanna County, 7/30, 7 a.m.
If Fluvanna County’s football players can absorb, reflect and in turn bring even half the energy that head coach Jason Barnett brought to the field on Monday morning at the team’s first practice, the Flucos will have a much better shot at getting better in 2012.
Barnett bounced, skipped, punted and danced his way through the first hour of practice on Monday at the squad’s sparkling new facility on Route 53. His infectious energy seemed to jumpstart the early morning practice as Fluvanna works to improve on last year’s 2-8 record.
Fluvanna seems to have some pieces to work with this year, with Devin Goode and Marcus Jackson both putting in solid early sessions in linebacker drills Monday, but there’s a lot of hard work left for both those two and the rest of the roster in the coming weeks.
The Flucos won one game in the Jefferson District last year, fighting through an unreal rash of injuries on a roster that already wasn’t deep. Creating the kind of depth that can withstand those sorts of injuries starts with the fundamental teaching Barnett and the staff were diving into Monday. If the younger Flucos can get the basics down pat, they can make a positive impact on the field when their number is called no matter how outsized they might be.
If they can take those basics and internalize their head coach’s energy, they’re really going to be on to something.
Louisa County, 7/30, 12:00 a.m.
ou want to be the first on the field and the last off it.” And as he later pointed out, since former coach Mark Fischer started the tradition almost a decade ago, nobody can ever beat the Lions to the field come training camp. By VHSL rules, the best anyone can do is tie.
Louisa embarked on its 2012 Midnight Madness in Mineral on its football field after years of doing it on the baseball field. After last year’s earthquake and the looming demolition of the school, the Lions got to take to their jungle in full effect, tunnel, announcer and avid fan base in attendance in the bleachers.
On day one, the drills were concise and primarily focused on offense, undestandibly since nobody is in pads yet. The Lions bring back a lot of talent at the line of scrimmage and their quarterback, Zack Jackson looks more comfortable than ever whipping the ball around the field. Always known for their rushing attack, Louisa is searching for a replacement for its punisher last year in Andre Mealy. With Mealy in attendance (even helping out on some drills) but headed to JMU this fall, there’s an early camp battle for that spot. It might take a village to replace Mealy, but the athletes are here. Jackson’s biggest and most dangerous threat as a reciever, Peanut Johnson, looks like a mismatch for just about every single defensive back. This team looks like it could be diverse if it wants to be.
Numbers are always strong for the Lions come training camp, but Meeks points out that this one of the biggest groups he’s seen since he joined the school as an assistant in 2002. Louisa gets right back in action this morning at 8 a.m. By the time they’re done their first day of practice, most teams will be lucky to be in the middle of their first. You can always count on the Lions to bring the passion went it comes to the gridiron.
