Tiger Cubs offense sharp in scrimmage against Mounties

Saturday, August 17, 2013
Greencastle running back Alec Pettit pushes his way into the endzone, stiff-arming the Southmont defender to create space. Pettit and the rest of the offense were in midseason form. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

CRAWFORDSVILLE -- While the school year began two weeks ago for Greencastle, the football team has been stuck in summer mode, competing against only itself.

The Tiger Cubs got their first chance to execute against and line up with live competition on Friday in a scrimmage at Southmont and, while there wasn't a scoreboard to show it, GHS coach Josh Buis said the evening was a success on multiple levels.

"We wanted to come in here, first and foremost, to compete and stay healthy," Buis said. "We got out of the scrimmage without any dings. We're full-force coming into Monrovia week."

The Greencastle defense struggled at times, lining up against the Wing-T option formation of the Mounties, but that was to be expected as GHS did very little game-planning for their competition.

With the season opener next Friday at Monrovia, it made more sense for the Tiger Cubs to focus their training on the regular season instead of the specific option Southmont runs.

Several things stood out for the Tiger Cubs:

* The Tyler Scott-Seth Brown connection,

On full display at the team's Purple and Gray game last Saturday, continued to devastate the defense. Brown got behind the secondary on several occasions, each time being hit in stride by a pass from Scott.

The two seniors have a great chemistry built since they have been freshman at GHS, Buis said, and it's a combination that could be a big key for Greencastle this year.

Sending Brown deep will create scoring opportunities directly, but it could also open up and spread out the defense and allow the Tiger Cubs to work their ground game, specifically with powerful back Alec Pettit.

* Grant Mundy,

A talented player working as a starter on both the offensive and defensive lines, was providing consistent pressure on the pocket as a defensive end. When he didn't get into the backfield, he was securing the edge and keeping plays contained.

* Greencastle's linebackers diagnosed reads on the fly.

Because they didn't have much film preparation, the GHS backers entered the contest without a clear idea on how to make reads from the option. This potential dilemma turned into a positive as the inexperienced group communicated, diagnosed plays and improved as the game went along.

"As the scrimmage went on, we made adjustments versus their option," Buis said. "It's difficult going into a triple-option week without much practice and getting your reads and keys. It was nice to see our linebackers, as the scrimmage went on, to train their eyes themselves."

* The linebackers weren't the only unit learning on the fly.

Greencastle lost a number of starters on both sides of the ball from last season. The offensive line returned four starters, but shifting positions and working in new players was a process that GHS jump-started Friday night. Several other units, including the secondary, also gave Buis something to study before Friday's game against the Bulldogs.

"I saw some individual players stand out," Buis said. "Before we started the scrimmage, I had my doubts. 'Can they play at that position? Do we need to find another position for them?' But we have our best 11 guys out there on defense, our best 11 guys out there on offense, and tonight they solidified their positions."

* The offense is ahead of the defense.

While the defense made massive strides throughout the scrimmage, it became clear that the offense will be counted on to score points, particularly early in the year.

The Tiger Cubs return nine starters on offense, and though Scott is in his first year as the main signal-caller, he was at the helm for several games last season. The experienced group shouldn't have a problem putting points on the board while the defense catches up.

Junior Zach Secrest wraps up Southmont's ball carrier, Zach Richardson, during Friday night's scrimmage. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

Note: A Greencastle cheerleader, removed by ambulance after an apparent neck injury, was taken to the hospital for a precautionary exam. She was not suffering from any tingling or numbness in her extremities and expectations are that she will be released from the hospital late Friday night.

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