Repetitions are crucial in preseason. Hence, the Super Scrimmage.
Ardmore will get all the reps it can handle on Thursday at Noble Stadium, as the Tigers will host Lone Grove, Sulphur, Durant and Plainview. The Tigers will face each team at least once in some capacity, from freshmen to JV to varsity. Dickson opted out of the Super Scrimmage and will play Coalgate at a date to be announced.
Thursday’s Super Scrimmage will be the 10th edition of the annual event. Every team will see more time on the field, as the scrimmage lineup drops from eight teams in 2009 to five this season.
“Our guys should get a lot of quality reps,” said Ardmore coach Larry McBroom, entering his third Super Scrimmage with the Tigers. “This will benefit all teams to prepare for the season.”
A beneficial wrinkle added to this year’s Super Scrimmage is specific work in the red zone. Durant and Ardmore will run roughly 10 offensive and defensive plays each against each other within the 20-yard-line. As in previous years, practice field scrimmages to the north of Noble Stadium will run simultaneously to the feature game.
“We’ve added the red zone this year to try and add more opportunities for all players from all teams,” McBroom said. “Whether it’s offense or defense, kicking that field goal or blocking that field goal, how you play in the red zone is becoming a bigger part of winning and losing.”
The Tigers were big winners in their first scrimmage on Friday against Noble. After watching the film, McBroom saw the good and the bad.
“For the first time out we ran to the ball pretty well,” he said of the defense, which forced three fumbles and an interception. “We’ve got to tackle better. There were times where we didn’t control the gaps as effectively as we could have.
“These are all things we’ll stress leading up to the Super Scrimmage — all the basic fundamental foundations of defense.”
Noble Stadium will have seen its fair share of action by mid-September. The Super Scrimmage is the second of four consecutive weeks of home contests for Ardmore, including scrimmages. The Tigers will open the regular season at Noble Stadium against rival Ada on Sept. 3, then will play defending Class 5A state champion Carl Albert on Sept. 10.
Erik K. Horne
221-6522
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Super Scrimmage
■ 5 p.m. Thursday at Noble Stadium
■ Scrimmages: Ardmore second team vs. Lone Grove; Ardmore first team vs. Sulphur; Ardmore first team vs. Durant; Ardmore JV/sophomores/freshmen vs. Sulphur and Plainview; Plainview vs. Durant
