Plains and Hot Springs touch on preseason football
<p>Horsemen defenders chase down star Savage Heat receiver Nate Gray at one of their preseason touch football games. </p>
“We’ll be playing 8-man football, while [Plains] will play 11-man, but it’s still good to get out here and run through our defensive and offensive plays,” Coach Lawson said. “We’re just having some fun today.”
Plains ran offense first, with Coach Lulack calling out reminders and tips to his players. The preseason camp was open to boys ranging from seventh to 12th grades, and the mix of ages made for pleasant surprises among the boys as they communicated during plays.
“There’s been a lot of positive talk,” Coach Lulack said. “It’s a great group of kids and I just wanted to get them together and teach a little bit and run through some new techniques.”
As the Horsemen ran through their offense, the Savage Heat beefed up their defensive skills and tried testing their boundaries in defensive running and blocking. The boys also seemed bonded in team camaraderie and trust as both sides looked for opportunities to score and read plays.
“I didn’t want to run just generic practices,” Coach Lulack said of the camp. “This will give them a more realistic look at the sport and learning new skills and drills. I want the kids to get excited about football and get them in the mindset of ‘let’s win some games and be competitive.’”
The first games of the two teams’ seasons begin in late August with the Horsemen leaving home to play Mission Aug. 31, and the Savage Heat traveling to Highwood to play Geraldine/Highwood also on Aug. 31.