Lions face Coleman in first scrimmage

By Sam Waller

The Albany Lions football team got its first taste of contact this week and will close out the second week of preseason with its first taste of competition.

The Lions will scrimmage the Coleman Bluecats Friday, Aug. 12 at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.

Action is scheduled to get underway at 6:00 p.m. with the junior varsity. The varsity will follow.

“We’re going to go pretty fast,” Lion head coach Denney Faith said. “It will give us a chance to evaluate kids at positions and try to get out without any injuries.”

The JV portion of the scrimmage will see each team run 10 offensive plays with starters and 10 with backups. The varsities will run 15 plays with starters and 10 with reserves.

“Then we’ll go from there to see if we want to have another set,” Faith said.

Possessions will start at the offense’s 30-yard line. Teams will have three plays to get a first down or restart at the 30.

“If we penetrate inside the (other) 30, it’ll be four-down territory,” Faith said.

Faith said one area that coaches will focus on is players’ recognition of different sets.

“We’ll be doing a lot of that, with the quarterbacks especially, seeing different secondaries and getting reads,” he said. “Mostly, we’re trying to evaluate personnel. We’re going to give everybody as many reps as we can and get some people on film."

The Lions began the week with the first full-pad practice on Monday, Aug. 8 before conducting their first afternoon workouts the next two days.

“I was really pleased with Monday’s practice,” Faith said. “Everything was pretty crisp. We just came out ready.”

The first week consisted of five days of noncontact drills and conditioning work. Faith said things pretty much went according to plan as players worked to get in shape.

“We’ve still got a ways to go, but I think we’re all getting there,” he said. “The kids were moving around a little better as we get the soreness out of us. I think we’re on track.”

Another difference this week, Faith said, was getting the team into its weekly routine as if preparing for a game.

“We didn’t necessarily prepare for Coleman like we would for an actual opponent,” he said, “but as far as practice schedules go we treated it just like we would if we had a game Friday.”

The difference in attitude was noticeable, senior Koy Cauble said.

“It’s a little faster pace getting ready for a game,” Cauble said. “There was a little more intensity this week instead of just going against air.”

Faith said the two weeks of scrimmages will be spent trying to find the best players a to fill open positions. It’s a process the coach expects to continue into the first few games.

“The kids are responding well and competing well,” he said. “They know the spots that are wide open and those guys that want them are fighting. I’m very pleased with the competition.”