By Michael Lindsay
Familiar foes met on the practice field in Baxter Thursday morning as Upperman and Cumberland County competed in 7-on-7 action.
“It’s always a lot better for us to go against an opponent than to practice against ourselves,” said Upperman head coach Adam Caine. “This takes the comfort blanket away from us and the juices are flowing more when you’re going against an actual opponent. The effort and focus are a better, and this can speed up the learning process.”
Thursday’s 7-on-7 was the first action against a different program this spring for Cumberland County.
“I’m glad to come out and get some work against another team,” said CCHS head coach Noah Repasky. “Upperman is always really good at what they do. They give some different looks and formations we haven’t seen; we’ve been going since the spring against ourselves.”
Upperman and Cumberland County are no strangers as the teams both compete in Region 4-4A.
“In June, so it boils down to who’s local and willing to go against you,” Caine said. “Me and coach Repasky have a pretty good relationship and we’ve got respect for that program. They’ve got a lot of really good players. Yes, we’re in the same region, but we all know it’s not going to look anything like it just did. I don’t think any major secrets got out from either side. It’s an opportunity for the kids to practice against somebody in a different jersey.”
The Bees are expected to start a new quarterback this season as rising sophomore Bronzdon Chaffin took a majority of first-string reps Thursday.
“We came into spring football in May with three guys battling and splitting reps,” coach Caine said. “One guy got hurt and had ankle surgery and another got a banged up in the spring. Bronzdon was the quarterback in our spring scrimmage and did an outstanding job. In 20 plays, he had close to 130 yards of total offense. He’s taken over that #1 spot right now and did a fantastic job today. I overheard him helping the second guy and he seems to have a grasp on what we’re trying to do.”
Chaffin will have multiple returning perimeter weapons to work with along with two-time region running back of the year Jaxson Rollins set to return from injury this fall.
“Branson Turnbow made some plays today and Cam Bush is a kid we feel confident in getting the ball to,” Cains added. “Defensively, guys were getting to the right spot. In these things, we’re really trying to reroute receivers.”
A young Cumberland County team returns multiple starters, led by rising sophomore quarterback Noah Potter.
“Jeffrey Smith caught the ball really well today,” coach Repasky said. “Noah Potter was at about a 90% completion rate. We threw it and caught it really well. Defensively, Jaime Perez had a great day at corner. He’s been our kicker, but we’re working him in some defensive roles.”
“Both teams did a pretty good job,” Caine added. “They (CCHS) have a good quarterback and he made it hard on our defense. We’ll be able to look at the film and make some corrections.”
Cumberland County is set to face Monterey in 7-on-7 next Tuesday as both programs will complete their final week of summer workouts until the TSSAA dead period June 26 – July 9.
