By John R. Schirmer
News-Leader staff
Despite the threat of rain, fans turned out in droves Friday night, Aug. 19, for the Orange and Black Back-to-School Bash at Scrapper Stadium.
Sponsored by the Scrapper Booster Club, the event provided an opportunity to see junior and senior high football players, cheerleaders and bandsmen in action. Fans also had a look at the upgrades to the stadium, including artificial turf, new visitors side and new bandstand.
They also watched as Assistant Superintendent Joe Kell released Scrapper Spirit in the north endzone while PA announcer Johnny Wilson told fans of the many big plays which have taken place in that endzone.
Light rain fell off and on during player, band and cheerleader introductions but was largely over by the time the senior high scrimmage began.
“We had a great turnout from the community,” Coach Mike Volarvich said Monday. “Even considering the rain, they came out. It was nice to see that many people there in support.”
The Scrappers scrimmaged for about two quarters with a running clock. “We came out pretty healthy,” Volarvich said. “There were no major injuries. There’s always a fine line between good, quality work and keeping players healthy. As coaches, we have to find that line.”
Overall, “We got through camp fairly healthy,” Volarvich said. “We had the usual bumps and bruises, but we’re in pretty good shape.”
Volarvich said he and the coaching staff “saw some good things” during the scrimmage. They also saw “early-season mistakes that we need to clean up. We’re not as in-shape as we need to be. We’ll get into game shape when we play games. Guys are never quite as tired as in the middle of a game.”
Offensively, the Scrappers produced “a couple of big plays. They were nice to see. On the flip side, you don’t want to see those things” from a defensive standpoint,” Volarvich said. “Was somebody out of place. Were there missed tackles? Was it a great offensive play or something to look at.”
There were some “alignment and assignment issues,” according to Volarvich.
Big plays included a 70-yard touchdown run by Darius Hopkins on the first play of the game. “That was a great run,” Volarvich said.
Dominick Kight was “wide open” for a big play, which saw “communication errors and busted coverage.”
Ty Pettway picked up 65 yards off a screen, and Trent Harris gained 50 yards on a running play early in the scrimmage. “He’s a very dynamic player,” Volarvich said.
On offense, there were “a couple of sacks, some protection busts. We had a couple of throws not made” when they should have been, Volarvich said.
There were also “a couple of bad snaps, a quarterback fumble, an interception where the ball went through the receiver’s hands and the defender picked it off. These are very fixable things. You expect them early on,” according to Volarvich.
The scrimmage saw the first-team offense against first-team defense and second-team offense against second-team defense. Each group had about 20-30 reps, Volarvich said.
El Dorado
With the Bash completed, the Scrappers are focused on their scrimmage this week at home against El Dorado.
The scrimmage was to have been held at Southern Arkansas University as it has been the last several years. However, “They’ve been re-doing the SAU turf. The goal posts and lights aren’t up,” Volarvich said.
As a result, the contest was moved to Scrapper Stadium. The scrimmage will start Thursday at 6 p.m. Admission is $4.
“We played them last year. Coach [Scott] Reed has a good program. He’s a very good coach. El Dorado will be well coached and well prepared,” Volarvich said.
The Wildcats’ defensive coordinator from last season is at Fairview now. As a result, “We don’t know if their defense is the same. Offensively, they’re very multiple. That have a lot of different looks, a lot of formations.”
El Dorado will “bring a lot of kids. They have good numbers, about 80-100 on the roster. They’re considerably bigger than we are,” Volarvich said.
The scrimmage “will be a good test. Our kids are ready to line up against somebody else. They haven’t had a chance to see another player since the state championship game last December,” Volarvich said.
“They’re tired of going against each other. You can only see the same play so many times in a row. We’ll see new faces and a different colored jersey” Thursday night.
Fall camp began Aug. 1 and “gets kind of monotonous. They’ll be excited,” Volarvich said.
“I’m excited to get it here,” Volarvich said of the scrimmage. “It’s great for the community and school to some see the benefit game. We’ll have a bigger crowd than we would at SAU. Fans will get to see the new field, visitors bleachers and bandstand.”
After the scrimmage, “It will be good to get that film and make corrections going into next week,” the season opener Sept. 2 at Hope.
