Vian, Roland in first preseason football scrimmage tonight
The Vian Wolverines and the Roland Rangers will get their first taste of game-like situations tonight when they join Tulsa Holland Hall in a four-way scrimmage at host Sequoyah-Tahlequah High School. Action will commence at 6 p.m.
The Vian Wolverines and the Roland Rangers will get their first taste of game-like situations tonight when they join Tulsa Holland Hall in a four-way scrimmage at host Sequoyah-Tahlequah High School. Action will commence at 6 p.m.
Vian coach Gary Willis said his Wolverines will just be very basic, but he wants to make sure his team executes — and stays healthy.
“We’ll be real base on offense and defense,” Willis said. “We just need to go execute our base offense and defense. We want to come out healthy. We want to have everybody full go next week.”
On the other hand, for first-year Roland coach Greg Wise and his Rangers, this will end up being the only preseason scrimmage for them before they open the season at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at Marty Rogers Field against the archrival Muldrow Bulldogs in the next installment of “The Battle of 64.”
“It’s important for a number of reasons for me,” Wise said. “I’m wanting to see where we’re at in our conditioning with the pads on — we just put the pads on (last) Friday. What are we going to be like a week into it (being in pads)? I want to see where we’re at in the stuff we went over in our system and plays. We’re adding a lot of stuff. We’re going to be more multiple than we have been in years past. We’re wanting to add some more stuff. I want to see where we’re at mentally. I want to see how we respond to adversity and how we respond to different people than what we have in practice. It’s not necessarily who we’re going to face in the scrimmage, I want to know how we’re going to execute (on offense and defense) ourselves. (Tonight) will give me a good indicator of where we’re at.”
Both local coaches also are looking forward to tonight’s scrimmage so they can face somebody besides their own players.
“We go up against each other every day,” Wise said. “It’s different when there’s a guy across from you don’t know. It’s important for me to see how we’re going to respond mentally to that. I think we’re going to be physical enough. We’re going to be a physical football team. Mentally, how are we going to approach people we haven’t played before and facing a system we have not looked at yet from another team? It (tonight’s scrimmage) is important.”
“I think they’re ready to go against somebody other than their buddies,” Willis said. “These first couple of weeks (of football practice) are a stretch. It’s a long two weeks getting ready for that first scrimmage. There’s a lot of boredom and repetition. Once that first scrimmage hits, it feels more like the season (has arrived). It picks everybody’s spirits up a little bit, so we’re looking forward to it.”
• • • TO GET THERE — Take Oklahoma State Highway 82 north from Vian to U.S. 62 just south of Tahlequah. Take U.S. 62 west to South 500 Road. Turn left on South 500 Road to Sequoyah-Tahlequah High School.
