Dante Elam took the handoff and flew around the edge, shaking White County defenders in his path. Twenty yards later, Elam got up screaming to his teammates, “Let’s go!”
The Pioneers listened, plowing through White County's defense several times during their first live action of the spring.
“It was just the second time we’d ever lined up our offense,” said new Pioneer coach Matt Turner. “It was the same for defense – we hadn’t set our adjustments or anything. We just threw them in the fire and they did well.”
Elam’s run was the catalyst for an offense that would score three straight touchdowns to begin Tuesday’s workout with the Warriors. Talented returning tailback CJ Taylor scored the first time, while quarterbacks Clay Thompson and Eli Buchanan also had long scoring runs.
Turner, a former lineman, was fired up seeing his Pioneers blast big holes in the Warrior defense. It was even more impressive considering the lack of variety the offense had at its disposal.
“We only had two plays – jet left and right,” said Turner. “It was the simplest offense we could put in to let our linemen learn their skill set. I told their coach we only had two plays – and we added a belly play up the middle. We moved the ball well.”
Defensively, the Pioneers competed well in goal-line situations, though White County did have success with its spread, four-receiver looks. Turner knows there’s plenty of room for improvement.
“There was a lot of hustle – a lot of heart shown. The mistakes we did see are all correctable,” said Turner. “I saw kids doing the things we’re teaching them and we’ve introduced a lot of new terms and philosophies. The experienced kids are meshing them with what they know and we’re learning.”
While the final results were positive, the initial work leaned toward White County. In position drills, the Pioneers absorbed heavy blows from the visitors, though they started dishing out some hits along the way.
“They dominated in the early drills. We got hit in the mouth because it’s the first time we’d seen live action,” said Turner. “We were putting some green kids out there. They have shown up and have worked hard. They want to play too. They’re learning to compete.”
Turner knows there is plenty of work to do, but with another week of practice coming, he already knows how best to teach his growing Pioneers.
“The school of hard knocks is the best way to learn.”
Warren County is set to conclude spring practice next Friday, May 10 with a workout under the lights at Nunley Stadium. Turner is still finalizing the event. Check next week's Standard for more details about the conclusion of spring practice.
