Two scrimmages left before 2003 season opener

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard

Ramsey Black, center, looks for some running room during offensive drills Tuesday afternoon at the WCHS practice field. The Pioneers returned Monday from a five-day camp in La Vergne.

With 16 days before they hit the field to kick off the 2003 football season, WCHS will have just two more chances to shore up their gameplan against live competition.

The Pioneers travel to Portland Friday, and are scheduled to play host to Rhea County a week later in their final scrimmage action before opening the regular season Aug. 22.

As time runs down toward the opener, head coach Gerald Tidwell said instilling some confidence in a Pioneer squad that has lost its last 19 games is a must. And he hopes preparing well for his team’s final two preseason games will allow them to do just that.

“Our main focus now is to start putting in the gameplans for our scrimmage people,” Tidwell said Tuesday. “They don’t count as wins and losses, but we want to really game plan versus what Portland and Rhea County do with their wing-T, and really do our best to stop them and give our kids some confidence.”

The Pioneer head coach noted his team went into last week’s camp focused mainly on defensive fundamentals, rather that what opposing offenses brought to the field, and as a result struggled in scrimmages against Goodpasture and Westmoreland.

“Playing a generic defense, and not focussing on what your opponent is doing — like we did against Goodpasture and Westmoreland — doesn’t give our kids the best chance of stopping what they’re doing,” he said. “So we’re going to try and stop Portland and Rhea County the best we can, and hopefully gain some confidence heading into Livingston Academy.”

Friday’s scrimmage at Portland is set for 5 p.m., with Rhea County visiting WCHS next Friday, Aug. 15. Time for the Rhea County scrimmage is yet to be announced.