By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
The Pam Pack played its second scrimmage in as many days on Friday as it took on Farmville Central at J.G. “Choppy” Wagner Stadium.
Pack coach Sport Sawyer said his team looked a little more relaxed in its final scrimmage of the summer.
Defensive coordinator Jon Blank also felt Washington fell flat for a while, but was pleased to see the Pack pick up its intensity near the end.
Washington’s new spread offense showed flashes of being a dangerous one. Junior quarterback Austin Thompson seemed to handle the transition well, and looked comfortable guiding the team from the shotgun.
The Pam Pack’s most pressing concern seemed to stem from its inconsistent line play. When given time, Austin was able to deliver strikes to his receivers. However, the young signal caller had a tougher time when he was forced to run.
One player who was consistently brilliant was Travis Daniels. The Pack running back routinely ripped big runs and looked ready for game-day.
Daniels may have had the highlight of the scrimmage. He took a hand-off to his right, had nowhere to go, reversed field about three yards behind the line of scrimmage, then eluded Farmville defenders for about a 35-yard touchdown run.
Offensively, Sawyer said his starting unit is in place with the exception of its line.
While the Pack offense attacked out of the shotgun for a majority of its snaps, Washington put Thompson under center in its goal-line package. Sawyer said he plans on using both looks when entering the red zone.
Like the offense, Washington’s defense had its ups and downs. At times they did a nice job attacking the line of scrimmage and stuffing the run. At other times the Pack seemed to get blown off the line of scrimmage and gave up large chunks of yardage.
Blank said there are some hotly contested position battles still taking place.
Sawyer cited Chase Tripp and Cody Cunningham for their work on the defensive side of the ball. Cornerback Jamont Jones also made a nice interception late in the scrimmage when he jumped a slant route near the goal line.
The Pam Pack’s first game will be Friday at North Pitt.