With the official start of football season being a few days away, teams are making their final strides as they prepare to hit the gridiron. For Rockdale, the Tigers were scheduled to play a scrimmage against Mexia High School, but the game was canceled due to Mexia having to shut down football operations. Luckily for the Tigers, they were able to reschedule and face off against a tough Franklin Lions squad.
The scrimmage had a regular season game atmosphere. Both teams played hard and their fan bases were in full effect. Unlike in year’s past, fans were required to wear masks and social distance within the stands. Both teams came out with physical play as they tried to impose their will on one another.
“When you play a team like Franklin you have to go in with the mentality that they won’t be more physical than you,” Head Coach Jacob Campsey said. “I thought we played harder than they did, and we matched their physicality.”
The format of the scrimmage included 68 plays—12 plays for both the first team offense and defense, 12 plays with the second team offense and second team defense, another 10 plays for both the first team offense and defense and one quarter with real live game rules to end the day.
During the first 68 plays, coaches stood on the field behind the players to critique and coach them after each play. During the live quarter, the first-string teams for both Franklin and Rockdale faced off with official rules in place. Coaches were no longer behind the players and the squads faced off mano a mano.
During the quarter, RHS quarterback Jace Robinson threw the ball to a wide-open Anthony Dansby. Dansby raced down the field and broke a tackle to score a touchdown. The defense was stout and didn’t allow the Lions to score any points. The Tigers came away with a 7-0 win.
After the scrimmage, the teams air high-fived each other as a gesture of sportsmanship since the University Interscholastic League (UIL) has prohibited handshakes.
Two players that stood out on offense were starting wide receivers Kesean Raven and Dansby. Raven showed off his superior speed and route running to beat defenders, while Dansby used his 6 foot-4-inch frame to make catches over smaller defenders.
“I thought Anthony Dansby and Kesean Raven both looked tremendous,” Offensive Coordinator Ethan Noel said. “Both found ways to get open when the initial play broke down, and both were a big play threat waiting to happen.”
A player that stood out on the defensive side of the ball was defensive lineman Ty Mayberry. The 6-1, 230-pound senior was a force to be reckoned with throughout the evening. Every time you looked up Mayberry seemed to be in the backfield causing disorder for the Franklin offense.
“He’s disruptive,” Campsey said. “He’s big, mean and physical. He doesn’t take a play off and always demands a double team. The defensive line goes as he goes.”
THIS WEEK—The Tigers will open their season on Friday to face the La Grange Leopards in La Grange at 7:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast via KTIM.org in the live events section. Capacity for the vistors side will be 130 people at the stadium.
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