Talking with Davidson Academy's Head Coach Paul Wade about the scrimmage: "I would like to thank Coach Ward for getting this game setup; we have been talking about doing this for a couple years. Known Kevin for a long time, we have coached together on multiple All-Star games & we were looking forward to showing our kids these facilities & playing in Camden. We play some teams this year that run the wing offense, so we are glad that we were able to get the time slot worked out. It was a great game, a great atmosphere! A lot of fans on both sides, & Camden has a really good team; they are going to be good this year."
About the "headlines" for the DA program: "Maybe some fair, some unfair. Justin has gotten a lot of press for the yards he has racked up, maybe I have gotten a few headlines for how many carries he had last year...but in single A, it is a little different. We don't have a big grudge match every Friday night like Coach Ward does in AA! We have some weeks that we know we have to get after it or we will be in trouble, and then there are some weeks we know if we can get after it early, by halftime we should be in good shape. That helped Justin's numbers and helped us stay healthy. He probably wouldn't have gotten those numbers in AA ball."
On the upcoming 2009 season for DA: "We are excited about it! We have 15 seniors starting, on offense we only had to replace our quarterback & one receiver and on defense only had to replace two. When you look at us on paper, we are supposed to be good! That's why we wanted to play Kevin & his team because we know the tradition that ya'll have here & the success that is expected & wanted our kids to face a top-notch team run the wing."
Coach Wade played high school football at DuPont High School, was a walk-on center at Tennessee Tech, after graduation was a grad-assistant there. Coached at Donaldson Christian and Christ Presbyterian before coming to Davidson Academy, & is starting his 6th year as head coach at Davidson.
Talking with Lions Head Coach Kevin Ward about the scrimmage with Davidson: "Davidson Academy is an outstanding football team, 1st play of the game 70 yard touchdown, not usually how our defense plays. We haven't practiced against a running back & offensive line like that. We haven't seen a player that has the speed, balance, and vision like he does. There system is much different from ours, and they do it well."
Any injuries tonight?: "A few, we think they are minor. Mostly bumps & bruises from full speed contact. Hopefully some rest & the training staff can work them thru it. It was a physical scrimmage, and you just have to get used to that & ready for week 1."
Any stand out "lessons learned" in this scrimmage: "We finally figured out how to contain his speed. Of course, they came back & countered with some passing, but we did work thru it. We can show them how to correct while looking at the video, so it will be a good experience for them. I thought our team was physical, never quit, never hung their heads, and that was good to see. We were able to play our way thru the stops, interceptions, all that & still come back & trade scores with them. I know playing Milan last year, Coach Jeff Morris talked about how our kids never quit, and hopefully our motto will be: "If we are winning, we aren't quitting and if we are losing we sure aren't quitting!" We got whipped some up front on both sides of the ball & we have got to learn how to do the whipping. Some bright spots, we just didn't do it enough."
On the Lions conditioning: "After this scrimmage, I think our conditioning has improved from the first; we got tired in the first scrimmage, no doubt. We could see an improvement here tonight. You could tell some of our players figured this is how tired they were going to be during the game & played thru it to get a 2nd wind. You just can't get in "game condition" until you actually have a few games under your belt. You will have some cramping tonight, but that is pretty well normal for this time of year & it was a hot night."
What is planned for the team this week: We've got to get better for the jamboree. We are not trying to "prepare for the jamboree"; it is just another opportunity to scrimmage in front of more fans. We do want to look good too! For some of our kids, it will be the first time under the lights without a coach in the huddle, so obviously there will be mistakes. They will be able to see those mistakes on video, and hopefully we will be ready for a good McKenzie football team the next week."
On the tradition we have of feeding both teams at the scrimmage: "The Camden Quarterback Club fed both teams last scrimmage and again tonight. Davidson's folks were very appreciative & thought it was very neat for the two teams to sit down and eat together. It is a great tradition that the Quarterback Club has allowed us to continue this year & it is a nice touch. We like to keep the camaraderie between the teams & coaching staffs & this is a great way to do it. We do appreciate it!"
The Lions will travel to Huntingdon next Friday night to take on West Carroll in the 3rd quarter. Buy your tickets early right here in Camden & let's all make the trip and support our Lions!
GO LIONS!
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lion.news@whitestoneservices.com.