- December 26, 2024
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“How’s the battery, Lex?” Matanzas first-year coach Robert Ripley shouted up to a high school-aged girl standing along the top row of the Pirates football stadium, near the press box. She held a small video camera and was tasked with filming Matanzas’ second day of practice, which took place on a dewy Bermuda grass field behind the stadium.
Official high school football workouts around the area started Aug. 4, and teams have about three weeks before the slate of regular season games begins. Much of that time will be spent installing offenses and instilling discipline. Spring football gave us a hint of what to expect. Matanzas is a work-in-progress (Or are they? See the next paragraph). Don’t challenge Flagler Palm Coast’s skill players to a foot race. Mainland could be ordering 6A state championship rings come December. If spring football whet your pigskin appetite, get ready to loosen that belt a few more loops.
On Tuesday, the Pirates opened practice at 7:30 a.m. under partial cloud cover. The players wore helmets and shorts — no pads this early on in the season — and ran 7-on-7 drills. Senior quarterback Marquis Murphy, a transfer from FPC, stood out as he went through his progressions, dropping dime after dime behind, between and among the secondary. There was no line to see over, but his longer flings displayed touch and his shorter passes were crisp spirals. Yes, that’s no misprint. A former Bulldog could be a game changer for Matanzas at quarterback.
Thirty miles south, at Seabreeze High School, the sun was high in the sky by 9:45 a.m. The first- and second-team offensive units alternated through running plays without defenders; every player crossed the goal line on every play.
“Sprint to the freaking line, or we’re going to do up-downs!” shouted one of Marc Beach’s assistants. Off to the side, at the edge of practice softball diamond beset with crabgrass, a trio of Sandcrabs kickers worked on onside kicks. No doubt simulating a one-score deficit inside the final two minutes of a pivotal matchup, they took turns walloping the top point of the ball, hoping to create that perfect cherry hop to be scooped up by the hands team.
With presumed starting quarterback Jeremiah Wilson sidelined until October, Justin Miller and Scott Summers took the snaps under center (well, behind center, since Seabreeze operates out of the shotgun) during 7-on-7s. Both shined. Summers got the ball out of his hand quickly, while Miller was prone to reset, keep his eyes down field and look for the deep ball. Keep in mind, in both Palm Coast and in Ormond Beach, there were no pads, no crowd and nothing on the line. Nothing except preparation, and er… some other generic, overly sentimental words used to attach more significance to training camps than is actually warranted.
The Palm Coast and Ormond Beach Observer’s football preview special section drops Aug. 21. It’ll be worth the purchase price (the paper is free).
