Coach pleased with Black Diamonds’ progression during spring practice
In Sallisaw football coach Brandon Tyler’s mind, the Black Diamonds took steps in the right direction during the 2024 spring practice, which started May 13 and ended Friday with the culmination of a two-day team camp.
“I thought we got a lot better throughout the camp,” Tyler said. “Obviously, we saw a lot of different teams and a lot of different looks. We had to make some adjustments on the fly, and the kids did a good job of that. I thought we did a lot of good things up front. I thought Jackson (Harris) and Kase (Adams) threw the ball well. Our receivers caught the ball, so that’s going to be an added dimension we’re going to be able to add to our offense this year. Our two running backs, (Broque) Oft and Kenyan (Hill) ran the ball really well. I’m pleased with what we did offensively.”
If there was an area of concern the two-day team camp showed, it was on the defensive side of the ball.
“We graduated eight guys off the defense,” Tyler said. “We have a lot of holes to fill. We have to have a lot of guys step up on that side of the ball right now. Overall, we were pleased with the camp. It was good competition. It was a very good competitive team camp. I think all the teams that were here got better.”
The main important thing to Tyler is his team is better now than two weeks ago.
“We saw a lot of improvement,” he said. “Most of these kids have been in the system for a year. They went through a lot of retention. Now, it’s just going out on the field and execute. We still have a lot of work to do, but we’re going in the right direction.”
Another important thing the two- week spring practice and two-day team camp did was show what areas the Black Diamonds need to improve upon by the time the season opener kicks off at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 with a home game vs. Pryor at Perry F. Lattimore Stadium.
“There’s always stuff to work on,” Tyler said. “We’re not going to be perfect in May anyway. I haven’t seen a ball game won in May yet. Our openfield tackling has to get a lot better. We have to sustain our blocks. We have to block a lot better.”
Perhaps the most important thing to Tyler is the fact none of the players were injured during spring practice or team camp as the Black Diamonds head into summer pride workouts.
“We came out healthy,” he said. “That’s the main thing. We’re going into the summer now, and we’re going to get after it.”
