Shrine talent on showcase
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Spaulding's James Durham scores a touchdown against Rice last season. FILE PHOTO BY JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR |
Toolbox
By Tom Haley STAFF WRITER - Published: July 26, 2009
MERIDEN, NH — All those weapons being talked about in the Vermont Shrine camp were on display in Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage as the team continued to prepare for the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, the annual all-star football game to be played Aug. 1 at Windsor's MacLeay-Royce Field.
There were accurate throws with plenty of zip on them by Springfield quarerback Grant White. And the few times White was off, Rutland's Mark Comstock and Burr and Burton Academy's Caleb Wiley adjusted to the ball to make outstanding catches. Spaulding's James Durham saw limited time due to an injury but he, too, showed his game-breaking ability as a receiver.
Mount Mansfield's Brian Wilcox and Springfield's Stephen Miller got tough yards, picking up real estate after the initial hit, giving head coach Mike Hatt hope that the run game will be good enough to complement the passing attack.
But for all the offensive fireworks this contingent of playmakers might be capable of, it won't materialize without protection from the offensive line. Hatt knows the key to beating New Hampshire is to have these playmakers be able to do their thing in space and that is not going to happen without some good work by the big guys up front.
"The offensive line did well today," Hatt said. "Only once did it allow a sack."
The line is anchored by Springfield's Keith Cook, the center who gets everyone organized.
"It's been all forward progress for us," Cook said of the unit. "We are starting to get confident.
"I think we are going to be able to push them off the line. We are starting to get comfortable with each other."
Cook's linemates who will be seeing most of the time are Rutland's Logan Kresconko and Ethan Peterson, Hartford's Beau Bomhower, Essex's Joe Thieret, Norh Country's Houston Judd and Windsor's Alex Beloin.
"Those are our primary guys on the offensive line," Hatt said. "Ball security will be important in this game and their protection will be a key."
The genesis of the spread attack Hatt deployed to bring Springfield its first state crown since 1947 was studying the one used by national high school power of Valdosta in Georgia.
Now, it will be used in an attempt to bring Vermont its first victory in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl since 2001.
"We have got to use the pass to set up the run," Hatt said. "We know we aren't going to overpower New Hampshire and we aren't going to try to. We have got to get our kids in space whether it is with the run or the pass."
Another aspect Hatt liked about the scrimmage was that his players showed plenty of emotion.
"We selected a pretty tame group of guys. There is not a lot of rah-rah and this is not a rah-rah staff. But today they played with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. That is what I liked about today."
One concern is the health of Hartford running back Mick Wong, the state's Gatorade Player of the Year. He is nursing a bruised shoulder and saw very limited action in the scrimmage.
"We need to get him healthy," Hatt said.
Wong's Hartford teammate, Brandon Bergeron, made an athletic play on defense, an outstanding interception return.
Shrine shorts: Rutland's Connor Beerworth, who will play at Union College, will see his time mainly on defense. … Wong will attempt to earn a spot on the Unversity of New Hampshire roster as a walk-on. … Comstock is headed to Castleton State, where he plans to play basketball his freshman season and possibly football after that. He was Vermont's MVP of the all-star basketball game against New Hampshire.
tom.haley@rutlandherald.com
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