Hawk JV Looks to Find it’s I. D.
By Cory Martelli
The JV football team had its opening moments for the 2016 seeing eye to eye, meaning the scrimmage in which they started off with this season was played against each other, at least in the beginning.
Smithville fielded a smaller team this season and as it would happen the freshman got first shot at the Tigers on the other side of the field as Fridays scrimmage began in leaving the JV to bash one another up and down the field to start the season.
The Junior Varsity squad is full of Juniors and Sophomores this season, so much so, that there will be a JV Gold team and Green team with each team looking to compete for district title like last year’s JV team accomplished under Coach Bartels.
The two JV teams are a continued growth pattern from last year’s overall number of players who have joined the ranks of CLHS football program in the last two seasons. This split team concept gives each player quality playing time for everyone statistically which leads to a better varsity squad as the theory goes down the road in the future.
Some of the Juniors, and most all of the Sophomores and Freshman have won district title’s either emanating from MV or at CL at the sub varsity level. Having a solid number of players who are used to winning on the JV level can bode well for the Hawks this season if they can find their identity and gel tighter as a group learning to play with one another.
However, having a winning past does not always translate in wins in the future. This JV team will certainly have to find the right combo of leaders, part players, true grinders, discipline and rhythmic consistency in order to produce the big District title pie this season.
As the JV inner squad scrimmage concluded the JV team moved over to the other side of the field and got to mix it up with the Tigers spread offense as they handled the ball first. This type of offense which the Tigers run, is what all of CLHS teams will more than likely face as a number of teams on this year’s schedule run this type of offensive scheme.
The first team “D”, if you can call it that, held the Tigers in check most of the time but the swift moving Tigers did deal some blows to the Hawk front line. However, the Hawk linebacker crew did well and had a good scrimmage working as clean-up batter in the tackle category.
The Defense forced some bad throws as pressure was applied pretty regularly to the Tiger QB. The defense will have to learn what reads to make on given defensive calls from the coaches in order to be more effective and use the talents which the JV team possess.
Like the defense, if there was a first team offense ever on the field at one time, you won’t know it. Why? It’s simply because there are many positions up for grabs on this team and many players were being switched in and out constantly either with green numbered jerseys on or a gold jersey on with no number on.
This constant mixing of players into the offense from both the Gold team and the Green team and trying to keep track of who was who at anyone time, was like trying to identify a specific number on a bingo ball within a bunch of bingo balls in a rotating cage.
At this point in the season, the coaches are mixing in combinations of players trying to determine which combination of players will work best and which player wants to earn a starting spot on the Junior Varsity team.
The JV players are definitely locked into a healthy competition of “who want’s it the most” fever for starting positions. This shuffling of payers in this scrimmage should result in a better combination outcome which will strengthen, solidify, build and help determine who’s who and who’s where on which team.
The Hawks over all did a good job considering again that this was a scrimmage.
A scrimmage against a smaller school and apparently a less talented school who has had a limited number of athletes to work with. If the JV had done less against the Tigers, then there might be a concern for the scrimmage. However, this Hawk team performed pretty well considering the team is still looking to find the best fit.
This shuffling and trying to determine what the JV team will end up with as a starting squad on opening day with Blanco in two weeks is anyone’s guess.
This much we know; you would have better odds trying to count through a five card deck at the Jack Black table in Las Vegas than trying to figure out which players will be on which team at the start of the season. Regardless, next week the JV will need to have a better combination player to match up with as a much better La Vernia team as they roll into town with a new offense adopted from Navarro’s Offensive Coordinator- the Slot – T at 5pm Thursday.
Over all The ReSporter will give the JV a “C / C+” average – middle of the road pushing forward with room for improvements of a talented team and coach.
Go Hawks!!