By DEAN JACKSON
WZBD.com
MONROEVILLE – High school football scrimmages are curious things. It doesn’t count for anything. But boy does it mean everything.
It’s one last run-thru. It’s a chance to test things out while the hits and the action are real, but there’s much more grace for mistakes.
Heritage hosted Bishop Luers Friday in one last tune-up before the regular season opener.
Patriot football coach Jeremy Hullinger reminded his squad that once the scripted, experimental competition with Luers was finished, the intensity was about to change.
“It gets real,” he said.
The season is here. He challenged them to be coachable and accountable.
“We always come to our players from a place of honesty. The work doesn’t go anywhere if you don’t work. Hard work doesn’t guarantee you are going to be successful on the field. But the absence of it guarantees you will not be successful.”
Scores are not recorded and no one is keeping stats, but that doesn’t mean coaches aren’t paying attention.
The first-year coach was pleased with his squad’s effort.
“I liked how our guys competed, especially our first unit. They weren’t intimidated, and Luers is a good football team. That’s a team that competed and won state titles. For us to come out here and look like we belonged, I was very proud of the way they did that.”
Scrimmages are dim reflections of a team’s potential. Pre-set scenarios aren’t exactly game situations. Within incomplete information, Hullinger still got enough of a glimpse to form distinct opinions. He quickly pointed to Eli Tigulis, who has moved to quarterback after playing receiver.
“Eli is a great leader. He’s vocal. He knows the offense inside and out. He knows what we were supposed to be doing on the field. It starts with him. We’ve seen the chemistry that Braden Walter and Eli have,
or a kid like Zeke Litchfield.”
Those boys have been playing football together since junior high and other sports like volleyball and basketball.
“We’re all just seeing it come to fruition here as these guys are getting to start their senior year.”
Walter made his presence felt Friday night.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s the deep free safety or a playing receiver. He’s the kind of guy you want the football to find him, and it keeps finding him repeatedly,” noted Hullinger.
Of course, Hullinger expected penalties and other mistakes that come with a new team and new seasons.
“That’s part of the learning curve. Where we’re learning. Our crew is learning. That’s expected at this point in the season.”
But the time is coming, quickly, when those issues will be addressed and done so more firmly.
“What I told the boys is that we don’t just let those things go. We address them, we correct them, and we move on.”
There wasn’t much that got Hullinger concerned.
“It’s hard to say there was anything I didn’t like. There are always things to improve upon. There are little things that maybe the fans don’t notice up in the stands, but obviously, our coaching staff notices when things are misaligned or when plays aren’t communicated well. I’m a big believer in communication. This generation is getting them to open up their mouths and use it. We are hard on them to be better communicators. It’s always hard for my staff to be better communicators.”
The Patriots host Bellmont Friday to start the season. You can catch the game on WZBD Radio.
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