Troy 20 Dunbar 7

High School Football (scrimmage)
Home Team: Troy Trojans
Visiting Team: Dunbar Wolverines
Venue: Troy Memorial Stadium
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

What a perfect night for my first visit of the year to Troy Memorial Stadium. Of course, I'd probably say that even if it had been 40° and/or storming, but fortunately, that wasn't the case. It was 70° and sunny, perfect for sitting about 2/3 of the way up the bleachers on the west 40 for a couple of hours and getting a feel for what the Trojans have this year.

As with probably any scrimmage for any team, there were ups and downs. I was pretty pleased overall with the defense, which looked to be disruptive. They gave up some plays here and there, most notably a 30-yard touchdown run on a draw play on 4th and long for Dunbar's lone score, but they also made a number of stops behind or just past the line of scrimmage. They pressured the QB well, the defensive backs made some nice plays on balls in the air, they forced some turnovers, and tackling looked to be pretty good. Now, Dunbar isn't exactly a powerhouse in the area, so we'll see if these things translate once the level of competition steps up, but these are all encouraging signs, at least.

The offense showed flashes of being impressive, but it looked like they had a hard time getting in sync and stringing a solid drive together. Feature halfback Matt Allen looked good, quick and elusive, and fullback Chris Basil was laying some licks, both as a lead blocker and as a ballcarrier. It's possible, though, that QB Tyler Wright is the best runner of the bunch. It's good to have a quarterback who is elusive and mobile, particularly when passing plays have a tendency to look like they were drawn up by a 6-year-old who came across his dad's whiskey stash. Whenever Wright dropped back to pass, it seemed like there was a defender (or two) in his face before he even finished his drop. He turned a few of those situations into positive plays, so it's good that he can run. He'll need to.

I'll be back at Troy Memorial this coming Friday, and this time it's for real. The season opens with a visit from the Eagles of Chaminade-Julienne, who should provide a good early-season test for the Trojans.