Ken Roberts
For The New Era
Sweet Home unveiled something old and something new at the North Valley jamboree last Thursday as the 2005 football season got under way.
The something old? The running game remains strong. Trevor Tagle, Shorty Weikel and Skyler Bascom followed the blocks of a younger, less experienced front line and managed to power ahead for positive yardage on all but one play. No breakaways ? just big chunks at a time to keep the Huskies moving steadily up the field.
The something new? Kyle Pettit put on an air show with his strong, accurate arm as he went eight for 13 for 83 yards in the three short periods of play. Two of the incomplete passes were dropped. Whether it was from the pocket or on a roll out or scramble, Pettit found six different receivers ? three wide receivers, a tight end, and two running backs. He was able to mix it up with multiple types of passes, short and deep routes.
Backup quarterback
Backup quarterback Kyle Aubert also completed one of his two passes for 18 yards.
All-league receiver Tim Faulconer led all receivers with three catches for 29 yards while tight end Charlie Fitzsimons hauled in two of the deeper passes for 41 yards.
The jamboree format is always tougher for defenses because teams can study game film to form a strategy to stop whatever the opponent is offering. Brookings-Harbor, with its double-wing set, opened with a 35-yard touchdown run on the very first play against Sweet Home. It took a while for the Huskies to adjust as they were pushed off the ball consistently early in the 12-play series, but gradually they adjusted to finish strong.
Against North Valley, which played with a more conventional offensive set, Sweet Home displayed a dominant defense. But the Huskies ended the evening against South Umpqua, which used a strong running game and one big pass play to its huge tight end for a score.
The defensive difficulties didn?t faze defensive coordinator David Younger.
?We didn?t come down here to win the jamboree,? stated Younger. ?And we didn?t come down to stop specialty offenses. We would have a totally different defensive philosophy based on what a team runs.?
Though some questions may remain, both head coach RobYounger and line coach Lynn Ellis were pleased with the execution of their young line. After senior Phil DeLong left the game injured following the first play of the game, the coaches were able to insert a number of new faces into the mix.
?It gave an opportunity to a lot of players,? said Ellis, who was especially pleased with the offensive crew that gave Pettit plenty of time to throw in most cases. ?We will have to look at the film to make sure of what we saw.?
Offensively, Rob Younger liked the continuity he saw as he shuffled players in and out. The Huskies were able to run some of their new formations successfully in their very first outing.
?For this early in the year, not putting the ball on the ground, no interceptions ? I?m pleased with the execution,? Younger said.
The Huskies had no turnovers during the three sessions while creating two for themselves as Fitzsimons and Kris Schaeffer both recovered fumbles.
?I asked them to improve and they did,? Younger said, simply. He noted the increase in defensive intensity as the night went on as an example.
Now the defensive unit will have the benefit of game film as they open the season Friday at home against Marist, the first time the two teams have faced each other since the 3A quarterfinal matchup of two years ago. Unfortunately, the Spartans have a bevy of new transfers in their program and appear to be a greatly improved team from last year.
It will be a true test of the early season development of the Huskies as they prepare for their Capital Conference run.
Patience, Younger preaches, patience.