LEWISBURG (WVDN) – We are just a little over a week away from the Greenbrier East Spartans football season opener, before the ball kicks off on Aug. 26, there are some things the coaches and players want to iron out in practice in order to be successful against Point Pleasant.
Last weekend, the Spartans scrimmaged Covington, Va., and Rock Bridge, Va., and while there were some positive plays on the field, there were also some things that need cleaning up.
Head coach Ray Lee understands that to the fullest and knows that scrimmages are tune ups for the real thing.
“We use scrimmages as dress rehearsal to give the players and coaches an idea of where we are and what we need to improve on. We can find out some necessary adjustments personnel wise and what plays will work with certain personnel groups. All of this is part of the dress rehearsal before we get into the schedule,” Lee said.
When players get to watch film of themselves and how they performed, that may be the biggest key of improving after the first time out on the field.
“After film session with the team it’s good for the players to see themselves and as coaches to see some things that we can do differently to make those adjustments to put our players in better position to be successful,” Lee said. “Having a scrimmage and film sessions are great learning tools for everyone. We will use the scrimmages and film sessions to make the necessary adjustments leading up to our first game.”
And after those film sessions, there are definitely things noticed to work on and get better.
“As coaches we’re always looking for ways to improve in every aspect of our team. We will look to simplify the few changes that are needed to improve our technique and aggressiveness,” Lee said.
When asked if the team was ready to play officially, Lee hesitated and got a little humorous.
“I’m glad we’re not playing tomorrow,” Lee said with a laugh.
“If we were playing tomorrow, I believe the players would be ready physically but not strategically. There are a few things we would like to fine tune. Everything we do starts with simple expectations that will help our players be successful. We will be able to work on those simple expectations with the players which is their alignment, their stance, their keys, and their responsibilities. We must fine tune those and continue to stress, trust the process of what they are being taught,” Lee said.
The Spartans will have their scrimmage this weekend and start game prep week next Monday.
Scrimmage observations will be published next week as well.
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