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| West seniors John Stamper (left) and Don Maciel lead the Titans in a running drill during a preaseason workout. |
That’s the date West Forsyth’s quest for a second straight winning football season officially kicks off in an endowment game against Parkland.
But for returning Titan players and coaches, the first real test of that journey will come this Saturday morning when they travel to North Forsyth for a scrimmage at 9 a.m. The final score will not matter but, according to second-year West head coach Chip Petree, physical performance will.
“I want to see us be able to compete physically with a team that’s as big and talented as any we will see all year,” he noted on Monday night. “North has always been big and this year they’re bigger than ever. They have a tremendous running back in Mike Rucker, one of the top lineman recruits in the state (Sergio Glenn) and a great coach in Bill Oakley. This will definitely be a stiff test.”
Petree said energy level and enthusiasm will not present a problem for the Titans. In fact, like all coaches, he worries about too much too soon.
“We ran into some injury problems early last year and obviously we want to avoid that this time around. We will constantly be rotating guys in and out but there are no guarantees. Accidents can happen anywhere, on or off the field.”
Focusing on the positive, Petree said his returning players are anxious to build on the success they had last fall. After enduring a 4-7 season in 2004 and a coaching change that winter, West rebounded with a 7-5 record in 2005. Highlights included a rain-soaked win over highly-ranked Mount Tabor and a share of the Central Piedmont Conference title.
Offensively, Petree said he is looking forward to evaluating a West unit that appears to have more weapons and depth than it has had in the past three years.
“The funny thing so far is that our offensive line is setting the tone for the entire team. That almost never happens, at least not here. But coach (Grant) Cann and coach (Randy) Pope have those guys focused.”
In the backfield, returning quarterback Maurice Hughes will look to throw the ball more often thanks to an experienced group of wide receivers that includes returning starters Travaughn Long and Andrew Bodenheimer.
“Offensively, we are farther along right now than we were last year at this point. A lot of that has to do with experience and a lot of it has to do with hard work. Just like our defensive players, our offensive guys have been very dedicated throughout the off-season.”
On defense, the Titans will quickly learn about their progress as they take on a Viking offensive unit that runs the option extremely well.
“I’m thrilled to be going up against a high-caliber team like North this early,” Petree added. “It’s going to tell us a lot about what we need to work on and which players belong at what positions.
“Parkland will be coming over here in another week so we have to do our best, evaluate and adjust accordingly.”