SELLERSBURG
It’ll count next week.
That was part of the message Seymour coach Michael Kelly gave to his team after Friday night’s scrimmage with Silver Creek. It was the final tuneup for the Owls before their season opener next week and, while there were plenty of things to still work on, there were some positive takeaways as well.
During last Saturday’s intersquad scrimmage, Kelly was hoping he would find players that would be ready to compete under the Friday night lights. He got some more chances to see who those players will be against the Dragons.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
“We had some guys that we’re counting on that competed very well for us tonight," Kelly explained. "We also had some guys that we’re counting on that didn’t compete so well. There’s a lot of things that we can correct on film and we’ll get an opportunity to do that [Saturday]. The big key is that we’ve got a lot to correct and fix before next week when we play a great South Dearborn team."
He wouldn’t confirm if the players running in the first group Friday night would be the same varsity players starting Week 1 in Bulleit Stadium, but hopes the 11 that start trot out there with more fire than they did tonight.
“We were just a little lackadaisical at the start of the scrimmage," Kelly continued. "Obviously, we didn’t have any game film to prepare for but, at the same time, we’ve got to be ready to go to work."
The Owls struggled to move the ball during their opening drive until senior Brayden Barker snagged the ball for a 30-yard gain. It moved Seymour into the red zone for the for the first time but they were unable to convert for a score. On the other side of the ball, the Owl defense held firm for 14 of Silver’s Creek’s 15 plays. Bending not breaking, the Owls got a big stop on what would have been a fourth down under normal game circumstances before the Dragons eventually snuck in a score on their final play of their opening drive.
Some quick adjustments made a difference in the Owls’ second offensive series, scoring three times from the Silver Creek 10-yard line. Josh Pennington punched two in through the middle and Chandler Drummond got one of his own on the ground. The defense was even firmer the second time around, keeping the Dragons out of the end zone on all 10 plays.
Brendan Smith found Barker again for a big play that he extended into a touchdown only to have it nullified by a penalty to start their third drive. Two plays later Smith connected to Drummond on a swing pass and he carried the ball over the goal line for the Owls’ fourth score of the day. Silver Creek responded with a score of their on their very first play in their third series but Seymour’s Jake Roberts would get the last laugh, picking off the Dragons’ quarterback in the end zone.
It wasn’t the only defensive bright spot as the Owls front seven dropped the Dragons in the offensive backfield twice in 12 plays.
The Seymour reserves kept up the scoring in the fourth series, starting off with a 65-yard strike from Thomas Frazier to Memphis Stoffregen. They almost followed it up two plays later with another score but a 50-yard touchdown run from Sam Allman was waived off due to a penalty. The reserves capped the night with another score in the fifth and final set of plays, giving the Owls the 6-2 advantage in touchdowns scored.
Overall, despite his team not executing the little things, Kelly was pleased with some of the progress that’s been made since June.
"We were able to throw the ball decent tonight; that’s a positive thing," Kelly said. "We had a lot of guys on defense to the ball and that’s something you like to see. Those are also some things you can continue to harp on and talk about all the time."
Seymour returns home to open their season next Friday, August 23 against South Dearborn. The Owls defeated the Knights 7-0 last season in Aurora.