Three Washington Parish football teams competed in 7-on-7 action Tuesday morning as preparations for the upcoming season continued.
“You’ve got a lot of good athletes out here and you get to work against some really good athletes,” Varnado coach Scott Shaffett said. “I’m going to tell you, Pine and Bogalusa have some really good athletes. They both looked really good. It’s a fun workout for the guys.
“You see some good things. You see some bad things, but that’s why you’re here, to practice at 7-on-7. We’re just getting us some practice reps in right now to get ready for the fall, working on our passing game, our coverage game. The main thing is, you’ve got to get rid of the ball quick right now because you get used to having too much time out here — you get out there on Friday night and you don’t have that kind of time to throw the football.”
Games lasted 12 minutes and were played with a running clock.
For the event, Varnado’s defense intercepted two passes — one each by Kim McGowan and Caleb Allen.
The offense made plays, but was unable to tally any touchdowns.
The Wildcats have had large back-to-back graduating classes.
“We have lost a lot, but I’ll tell you what, this young bunch that we have coming back … even though they are inexperienced, they’re good,” Shaffett said. “They’re really really a good bunch and I’ll tell you what, 7-on-7’s not really going to be their cup of tea. They’ve got a lot of developing to do, but I’ll tell you what, come playoff time, this team’s going to be hard to beat.”
Pine’s offense recorded four touchdowns.
Logan Temples threw for three scores and Jaheim Williams had one touchdown pass.
Nikki Lee caught two touchdowns and Markell Cotton and Logan Leger caught one each.
Defensively, the team intercepted four passes, with Cotton, Adrianuen Johnson, Jordan Anderson and Drake Westmoreland picking off a pass each.
“I was really pleased with the way the defense played,” Pine coach Bradley Seal said. “We didn’t give up too many touchdowns. No busted coverages and then Jordan Anderson had a real big day on offense.”
Seal said that Anderson had a couple of interceptions, and a couple of big plays on offense.
Seal was also happy with his offense.
“We feel like we have three really good receivers we can get the ball to and Logan’s (Temples) been throwing the ball well too,” Seal said.
Bogalusa’s Josh Taylor threw a pair of touchdown passes. Chas Smith and Tyrese Roussell caught one each.
The Lumberjacks’ defense intercepted a pair of passes, as Taylor and Smith both had one interception.
Bogalusa interim head coach Lester Jenkins said the team has a lot of good potential.
“We have a lot of young guys. We’ve just got to get more consistent. It looks positive,” Jenkins said.