It was less than five minutes after his team’s preseason scrimmage against Dacula when first-year Winder-Barrow High School coach David Wagner made an assessment which summed up the evening aptly.
“It was a good first step,” Wagner said. “Sometimes the first step is the hardest. We did take that first step tonight, however.”
The Bulldoggs, despite somewhat of a shaky start, settled in against Class AAAAA Dacula Friday at W. Clair Harris Stadium. When all was said and done, the visiting Falcons had recorded a 27-21 victory. However, coaches will quickly tell you preseason scrimmages are about so much more than what the scoreboard says after the final buzzer.
The WBHS offense makes a play in Friday’s action. Photo by Jessica Brown
Bulldoggs take first steps in scrimmage
Wagner and his coaches went to work during the weekend, breaking the film down and seeing just where improvements need to be made.
“The good thing about film is that it does not lie,” the coach said. “You can see where there is room for improvement. Sometimes things you thought were not so good, turn out to be better. Also, sometimes things you thought you did well you see you didn’t do as well as you had previously had in mind.”
After reviewing the scrimmage, Wagner said the Bulldoggs were close to making big plays on several occasions, especially on defense.
“We have to finish plays,” the coach said. “We played a good team but we made some mistakes. Of course, Dacula has been running the same style and same scheme for years. They know their system backwards and forwards. We are still in the infancy stage to say the least.”
After falling behind 14-0, the WBHS offense put its first points on the board on a 37-yard run by Tony Holton.
Trailing 27-7 at halftime, Wagner’s Bulldoggs showed they were not ready to throw in the towel in the second half.
Senior Josh Wallace ran for a touchdown with just under a minute left in the third quarter. The score was set up by a pass from Holton to Al Schotter.
The final score came in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter when Chad Platt II raced into the endzone from 43 yards out.
The WBHS defense forced two turnovers against a Class AAAAA playoff team from 2009.
When a program has struggled in recent years, it’s easy for the players to get a ‘here we go again’ attitude. Our players showed us Friday they are willing to fight,” Wagner said.
With two weeks before the first official game of 2010, Wagner and the Bulldogg coaches went back to work Monday at practice. The coach reemphasized the fact he was glad the scrimmage was earlier than usual to give more time to work on mistakes.
“Scrimmages are always helpful because it’s lets you know where your question marks are,” Wagner said. “They show you where your weaknesses are.”
The team did not sustain any major injuries from the scrimmage.
“We’ll go back to work for Rockdale County,” Wagner said. “The mental things are ones you can control. You are going to concentrate a great deal on blocking and tackling.”
Wagner told his players after the scrimmage he would do everything in his power to have them ready for Rockdale County. The Rockdale County Bulldoggs advanced to the state semifinals in 2009.
“The good thing about film is that it does not lie,” the coach said. “You can see where there is room for improvement. Sometimes things you thought were not so good, turn out to be better. Also, sometimes things you thought you did well you see you didn’t do as well as you had previously had in mind.”
After reviewing the scrimmage, Wagner said the Bulldoggs were close to making big plays on several occasions, especially on defense.
“We have to finish plays,” the coach said. “We played a good team but we made some mistakes. Of course, Dacula has been running the same style and same scheme for years. They know their system backwards and forwards. We are still in the infancy stage to say the least.”
After falling behind 14-0, the WBHS offense put its first points on the board on a 37-yard run by Tony Holton.
The Winder-Barrow High School football team has spent the offseason learning a new offensive scheme. Photo by Jessica Brown
Senior Josh Wallace ran for a touchdown with just under a minute left in the third quarter. The score was set up by a pass from Holton to Al Schotter.
The final score came in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter when Chad Platt II raced into the endzone from 43 yards out.
The WBHS defense forced two turnovers against a Class AAAAA playoff team from 2009.
When a program has struggled in recent years, it’s easy for the players to get a ‘here we go again’ attitude. Our players showed us Friday they are willing to fight,” Wagner said.
With two weeks before the first official game of 2010, Wagner and the Bulldogg coaches went back to work Monday at practice. The coach reemphasized the fact he was glad the scrimmage was earlier than usual to give more time to work on mistakes.
“Scrimmages are always helpful because it’s lets you know where your question marks are,” Wagner said. “They show you where your weaknesses are.”
The team did not sustain any major injuries from the scrimmage.
“We’ll go back to work for Rockdale County,” Wagner said. “The mental things are ones you can control. You are going to concentrate a great deal on blocking and tackling.”
Wagner told his players after the scrimmage he would do everything in his power to have them ready for Rockdale County. The Rockdale County Bulldoggs advanced to the state semifinals in 2009.
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