Scrimmage wraps up RV's first week of practice

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

NEW BETHLEHEM - Just on an experience level alone, Redbank Valley are in a much better position for the 2011 football season and the Bulldogs ended their first week of preseason workouts with a controlled scrimmage with the Homer Center Wildcats on Saturday.
Last year with a turnout in the low 30s, Redbank had just three players with a large amount of game experience returning from a 3-7 squad and the Bulldogs were also adjusting to a new coaching staff.
Fast forward to this season and the experience level is at a higher plateau as Redbank lost six seniors from a team that posted a 6-6 record in advancing to the semifinals of the District 9 Class A playoffs. Although losing several valuable players from last year's playoff run, the Bulldogs return many starters from last year, have a turnout of near 40 this season and have had a year to familiarize themselves with the second-year coaches.
So experience, numbers and the return of the coaching staff are a healthy trio of qualities that puts Redbank in a stronger position for the upcoming campaign. The Bulldogs have two weeks of two-a-day practices, two controlled scrimmages and a final week of after-school drills in preparation for the opening of their Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference schedule on Sept. 2. A member of the Small School Division of the KSAC, Redbank will open the season in a divisional game at Union in its 2011 debut.
With a week of two-a-days in the book, the Bulldogs entertained Homer Center in the first of its two scrimmages on Saturday and had a solid performance against the Wildcats. With each team's first offensive unit running three series of 10 plays each, neither squad scored a touchdown in the workout but Redbank came closest as its second 10-play possession ended at the Homer Center 1-yard line.
In their 30 offensive snaps, the Bulldogs ran the ball 14 times and attempted 16 passes to pick up 160 yards of offense. Running for 64 yards, Redbank connected on seven of its 16 passes for 96 yards while throwing a pair of interceptions. Kyle Lee topped the Bulldog runners with 40 yards on five carries while Kyle Shrecengost ran three times for 13 yards. In the battle for the starting quarterback job, freshman Jake Dougherty hit on five of eight aerials for 74 yards while Shrecengost completed two of eight for 22 yards while getting picked off twice.
For more details, see the August 24, 2011 edition of The Leader-Vindicator.