Football season is closer than you think and the Wright City football team is already preparing themselves. On June 18, the team traveled to Fort Zumwalt East to play in four 35-minute 7-on-7 …
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Football season is closer than you think and the Wright City football team is already preparing themselves. On June 18, the team traveled to Fort Zumwalt East to play in four 35-minute 7-on-7 games.
The games were played on one half of a football field and were tackle free, however this did not stop the Wildcats from putting in 100 percent of effort.
“This was a great scenario for us in a low stakes environment and we get to play and just see where we’re at,” Head Coach Tyler Rickard said.
The mini jamboree had five different schools participating, all programs that Wright City usually does not play in a season.
Wright City participated in linemen drills during their break and a couple of incoming freshmen participated, showcasing their skills to a new set of coaches. Then, the team, without incoming freshmen, went on to play Dupo, Fort Zumwalt East, Riverview Gardens and Parkway West.
The coaches noticed they saw some nerves and jitters getting in the way of the team’s first session, but they quickly rebounded and played well for the rest of the day.
Rickard went to watch the linemen drills and felt good with their progression. Rickard noted some of the upperclassmen were not present, but was pleased with the underclassmen’s performance.
“We went against some schools that we don’t ever see,” Rickard said. “These bigger schools have some talented kids, so it was good for us to get those live reps here in the summer.”
Rickard noted that this event helped him see where the team was at currently, something that is not always easy to see in only practices. He stated that it showed him that he has plenty of players he can count on to make plays.
“I was encouraged by what I saw tonight and I think we have an opportunity to be pretty explosive,” Rickard said.
On the contrary, the coach also saw areas the team needs improvement on before the season starts, such as some errant passes and dropped passes.
“We still have a long way to go. Something we try to establish each and every game is running the football and letting the passing game complement that,” Rickard said.
The Wildcats will have two more seven-on-seven games on July 12 and July 16.
