First Yellowjacket scrimmage yields positives

Posted 8/18/22

Football scrimmages are usually played down in discussions about team readiness and what might be drawn from a scrimmage about the upcoming season.

That is to be expected, for despite the actual …

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First Yellowjacket scrimmage yields positives

Posted

Football scrimmages are usually played down in discussions about team readiness and what might be drawn from a scrimmage about the upcoming season.

That is to be expected, for despite the actual contact between two teams, it is really nothing more than a tightly controlled series of plays. 

There is no context to the game; which is truly not a game – there is no score kept and no clock running.

However, football is a sport which does not hide. 

The 2022 Mineola Yellowjackets hosted the Winona Wildcats in their first action of the season Friday. 

Here are the operative numbers which may give some insights to Coach Luke Blackwell’s team this year. 

The Winona varsity offense ran 29 plays against the Mineola first and second-team defenses. The Jackets gave up 37 yards. The initial Winona snap was a carry over right tackle, and no fewer than five Yellowjackets were involved in the tackle. It was a reassuring first snap to the season.

While Winona was able to get a couple of receivers open during the scrimmage, Mineola adjusted to their speed and route-running well. A very nice combination play in the defensive backfield between a Mineola corner and safety led to an interception of a tipped ball. 

Defensive line play received high marks, as did the ability to close the edge and refuse to allow speedy Wildcat runners to turn the corner. 

If there was any glaring gaps in the defense, it came in defending draws. With a very aggressive rush, and against an offense which put several receivers out into the pattern, defending a draw is tough.   

The varsity defense scored a subjective B+. That is a great start.

On the offensive side of the ball, it was a mixed bag. In 28 snaps from scrimmage the varsity ran the ball 17 times for 99 yards – a respectable 5.8 yards per carry.

The positive yardage indicated that the offensive line was clear about their responsibilities – a key aspect to early season football. 

The most notable running play came near the end of the scrimmage when the Jackets pulled two offensive linemen from the right side to lead a play over the left tackle gap. It went for 18 yards and was beautiful to watch.   

The air attack has some work to do. They just never got in rhythm, which is tough to do in a scripted scrimmage. Mineola went 2 for 11 passing with two interceptions.

That less than optimal start to the passing game likely made the scrimmage priceless for preparing for the season. The offense had a first-hand experience of the increased tempo which competition brings to the passing game.

The Jackets scored a subjective C+ on the offensive side of the ball.

They will adjust, and fans can expect significant improvement in the passing game in the next action. 

Of note, the Winona scrimmage included sessions between the two junior varsity squads as well. The young Yellowjackets did not give up a score to the visitors, while they generated two big plays which went the distance. 

On the first a beautiful stop and go route went for a 35 yard scoring strike. In the second, a quarterback scramble after a fumbled snap was carried 30 yards for a score. 

Mineola travels to Caddo Mills on Thursday for the second, and last, scrimmage of the season. The Jackets open up their schedule on Friday Aug. 26 when they host Canton.