French Camp Academy head football coach Nathan Wright saw some good and some bad in a 29-7 loss to Starkville Academy in a Friday night scrimmage.
“I thought we played really hard. You don't always get that, so I was proud of their effort.”
But he added “We didn't play really smart. We weren't smart at all. A team like Starkville Academy is going to capitalize when you are not disciplined. We were lacking in a lot of areas, particularly on the offensive line, defensive line, and in the linebacking. We had some concerns on the line, but I actually thought our linebacking was as strong as it has been in a while. They did not work very smart Friday night.
“I had some high expectations,” he said. “We did not perform close to what I expected. But it's good that it was a scrimmage and good that I could see it now as opposed to later.”
There were some who played well for the Panthers. Wright mentioned safeties C.J Johnson and MacKenzie Coleman, receivers Macon Bentley and Darrion Smith, as well as two-way lineman Logan Campbell.
The Panthers' touchdown came on a 22-yard pass from Johnson to Smith. “I though C.J. played well at quarterback,” Wright said.
French Camp opens the season Friday with a home game against Eupora, a 2A school. “Eupora is always going to be physical. They are always going to be fast. They are always going to be coached well. And they always seem to be a competitor in their league. We will have to keep improving.”
Eupora had more than 500 yards of offense in defeating French Camp 54-20 last year.
