Football to host annual spring game May 18

Sophomore+KD+Glover+and+junior+Simon+Ramirez+execute+running+plays+during+practice+on+May+16.+

Caleb Wright

Sophomore KD Glover and junior Simon Ramirez execute running plays during practice on May 16.

The football team will host its annual spring game at the Woodshed on May 18. There will be two games with junior varsity starting at 4:45 p.m. and varsity starting at 7:00 p.m.

The spring game will have food vendors such as Canes, Dillas and Bread Zeppelin. Different sports teams will also be present, from drill team to cheer.

“We got all the work in and all the things we want done,” head coach Brian Brazil said. “We really want this to be a good time for the kids just to be able to go out and enjoy playing, compete together as a team and just have some fun with it. I think the last two years have been crazy and just being able to get out to just enjoy normalcy is fun. It’s going to be a good day.”

For this upcoming season, junior quarterback Braxton Baker will be taking on a leadership position on the team.

“[Next season] I want to have my completion percentage above 70%,” Baker said. “I want to have my interception rate extremely low, and I’m usually pretty good at that. [I want to be] calm and encouraging in the bad times, even when I mess up. If I’m able to be positively responsive in a negative situation, other people feed off [of] it.”

The spring game’s main focus is for players to play and practice against each other, as well as to show off the team’s sponsors.

“As a team, I hope we get better because we got a new [offensive coordinator],” junior wide receiver Micah Greene said. “I just hope we get better and understand the plays to do our assignments right and have fun. [I’m most excited about] the matchups for me, like seeing who is on which team.”

With coach Jeff Hill leaving as the offensive coordinator, the team is going through some changes in tactics. The new offensive coordinator, Aaron Woods, has more of a background in offense, which will likely change how the team will compete at games.

“Coach Wood’s background is more complete with a lot more pro-style offense,” Brazil said. “During the spring, we kind of threw the whole kitchen sink at the kids. We will not necessarily scrap everything we’ve done, but we will add a lot of new concepts and things to try to help us to be more effective against our next opponent.”

With this season bringing back old players as well as fresh faces to the team, Baker said he is excited for this spring game to see the new offense and defense in a live situation.

“[I’m excited for the season] first and foremost because I get an opportunity to do what I love and what I’ve been blessed to do,” Baker said. “I’m looking forward to continuing to gain exposure and to continue to develop not only as a player and a quarterback, but also as a man and a teammate as well.”