by Rusty Ellis
The Cookeville Cavaliers and Livingston Academy Wildcats are heading into this year’s dead period after a 7-0n-7 scrimmage on Thursday morning.
For first-year Livingston Academy head coach Matthan Houser, he’s pleased with what he saw from his team after both this 7-on-7 and their 7-0n-7 with Jackson County.
“I think today was great for us because we went up against a team that’s well-coached and does some things that we haven’t seen yet,” Houser said. “There’s things there for us to clean up, but I’m proud of the effort and I like how far this team has come in a short amount of time.”
The quarterback spot has been a spot of interest for the Wildcats, as it usually is for most teams, and on Thursday, it was Adrian Jenkins who played well as the signal-caller.
When it comes to the battle between Jenkins and Brodey Coffee, Houser says he’s tried to emphasize building a relationship between the two of them off the field in the hopes that it fuels the competition between them on the field.
“My challenge to them has been more off the field, and that’s mainly because the quarterback position can be a lonely position,” Houser said. “When you’re winning, everything is great, but when things aren’t going well, you’re one of the first players people look at…we challenge those guys to spend some time together and bond and they’ve both played well at times. Adrian played a lot better here than he did at Jackson County, and Brodey just has to trust himself more. It’s just a process, and both of them are doing a great job for us.”
On the Cookeville side of things, head coach Taylor Hennigan liked what he saw as the day wore on.
“Some of the progression was good to see, especially from our secondary,” Hennigan said. “The best part was just two teams and two coaching staffs that are just trying to get better…the first thing was if our kids knew what to do. Do they know what to do and athletically, can they help us. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Among players that stuck out were Blake Owen, Jack Clark and Mason Taylor, three players who Hennigan has seen improve over the course of summer practices.
“Blake Owen has looked much better each time he’s been out here and that’s good to see,” Hennigan said. “Jack Clark is a kid that didn’t play last year, but he’s had a good month of June. Mason Taylor has been our guy every time we do stuff like this, he just makes a bunch of plays. Those are our playmakers.”
Both teams will now be off for dead period, and while there’s still plenty of work ahead for both teams, both coaches are pleased with the progression they’ve seen from their respective teams.
“I think we need a break, mentally and physically I think we need a break,” Hennigan said. “When we get them back in July, we’ll focus more on strength and conditioning, and then we’ll hit the ground running the second week we’re back.”
“We’re in a pretty decent spot from a conditioning standpoint,” Houser said. “We’re looking forward to July, and we told them to enjoy the dead period, but to also put some work in over the period…we’re looking forward to having a little bit of a break here to prepare for the grind that begins in July.”
Photos by Michael Lindsay
