Vandals scrimmaging at Corsicana Aug. 16
DAVID BARBER
After blocking and tackling one another during fall practices over the past couple of weeks, the Van Vandals are looking forward to applying what they have learned against an actual opponent.
They will have that opportunity Friday, Aug. 16 when they travel to Corsicana for their first pre-season football scrimmage.
Prior to the Corsicana scrimmage, the Vandals put on the pads for the first time Aug. 9 as they conducted their annual Red/White intersquad scrimmage at Van’s Memorial Stadium.
“It looked like the first day of pads at the Red/White scrimmage, but we saw some positive things,” recalled Vandal Head Football Coach Jared Moffatt. “That scrimmage gave our kids an opportunity to run around full speed in pads. We made some mistakes but overall, I felt good about what I saw. There are a lot of things we need to work on moving forward. It was a fun day. There was a crowd in the stands. I know that our kids enjoyed it. I am glad to get that behind us and I look forward to seeing us line up against someone else now. We are excited about that as well.”
The Red/White scrimmage also gave the Vandal coaching staff an opportunity to evaluate players as they battle for playing time this season.
“There are very few times that we come out of the Red/White scrimmage saying for sure that a player can or cannot play a certain position,” pointed out Moffatt. “This was the first day for us in pads. We did see some things that we were hoping to see and maybe some things we didn’t expect to see. We still have two pre-season scrimmages and two more weeks of practice to continue these evaluations. Some of these evaluations could continue into the start of the regular season. These scrimmages are important for a number of players.”
Moffatt recognized the performances of senior defensive back Cade Christensen, senior defensive end Foster Rust, and senior linebacker Landon Smith in the Red/White scrimmage.
“Defensively, we saw a lot of good things in the Red/White scrimmage,” said Moffatt. “Offensively, we made some plays here and there, but we also missed some opportunities. We are replacing three offensive linemen and a slot receiver. I think our offensive line is going to be a good group. It was a good night overall.”
The Vandals will be visiting the Corsicana Tigers Aug. 16, who play in District 6-5A, Division 2, and are picked to finish fifth in their district by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine.
Midlothian Heritage is picked to win District 6-5A, Division 2. Other members of Corsicana’s district include Ennis, Terrell, Crandall, Kaufman, Greenville, and Mesquite Poteet.
“Corsicana has a new head coach, Eugene Rogers,” said Moffatt. “I know Coach Rogers really well. We were on staff together at Denton Ryan during my last two years there. He is an outstanding person and a great coach. He was the defensive coordinator at Waxahachie before taking the job at Corsicana. He grew up there and graduated from there. Their defense is similar to ours. We don’t spend a whole lot of time scouting our scrimmage opponents. We need to continue our player evaluations.”
Heat precautions are always a point of emphasis at this time of year for the Vandals and 2024 is not any different, according to Moffatt.
“It’s been hot in Texas in August for a long time,” said Moffatt. “We take a lot of precautions to protect our players out of harm’s way. We are conscious of the temperature, and we shorten practice when we need to shorten practice. You have to use common sense when you work out in the heat. Yes, it is hot, but I have seen it hotter than this in previous years at this time of year. Most of our practices are in the evening when the sun is going down. Our trainer, Coach Dodd, does a great job of monitoring our players.”
The freshmen and junior varsity teams for the Vandals and the Tigers will start on opposite ends of the field at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 16 in Corsicana with the varsity scrimmage starting at approximately 7 p.m.
Vandal senior receiver and punter Caden Rowe suffered an ankle injury in the Red/White scrimmage but is expected to be in the lineup Aug. 16 for the scrimmage at Corsicana, according to the Vandal head coach.
The Vandals will have their final pre-season scrimmage Thursday, Aug. 22 at home against Palestine before opening their 2024 regular season and non-district schedule at Dallas Carter Friday, Aug. 30 in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
For more information about the Vandals’ pre-season scrimmage at Corsicana Aug. 16 and a preview of their home scrimmage against Palestine Aug. 22, check out www.vanzandtnews.com.