The WCHS football team has shown it can run the football.
It’s also shown it can surrender big plays.
Those are two of the biggest takeaways from Warren County’s first two preseason scrimmages, both at Nunley Stadium. This Friday, the Pioneers hit the road for a jamboree in Columbia where they will face Dickson County. The varsity team is scheduled to play two quarters beginning at 7 p.m.
“Dickson County will present a much different look than what we’ve seen,” said WCHS coach Tom Moore. “They run a triple option and give the ball a lot to their fullback. It’s a different game than what we’ll be seeing against DeKalb County.”
The Pioneers are coming off a 14-6 scrimmage loss to Tullahoma. The starters for both teams only played the first half.
Coach Moore said a major turning point came on Warren County’s opening drive. The Pioneers moved the ball down the field without much resistance, but fumbled the ball inside the 10.
When Tullahoma got the ball, a short pass turned into a huge gain as the Wildcat player produced a nifty run after the catch.
“That was not a good sequence for us,” said coach Moore. “We drove the ball, but we had that fumble. Then we gave up a big play. That really turned things around.”
Moore said the Pioneer offense has been performing up to his expectations and showing it can move the ball. He says the one deficiency has been pass protection, especially against the blitz.
“That’s why these scrimmages are so valuable, because you see a lot of things you don’t see in practice,” said Moore. “I don’t think we would have known to work on our blitz pickup had it not been for these scrimmages. It’s certainly something we can work on and something that can be corrected.”
Moore is not as concerned about preparing to face Dickson County in the jamboree as he is about preparing for DeKalb County in the season opener. That game is set for Aug. 18 at Nunley Stadium.
“DeKalb County has a good perimeter game schematically, although not so much with speed,” said Moore.
He closed by saying the two scrimmages have served their purpose in getting the Pioneers ready to open the year.
“We didn’t come out on top, but those don’t count,” said Moore.