Pine defeated Varnado five touchdowns to three in a 7-on-7 competition that took place Tuesday morning at VHS.
“It’s good when you do 7-on-7. We hadn’t gone against Varnado this year, but you get different looks on defense, you get different formations, different route combinations you don’t see, you get work on a combination of things,” Pine coach Bradley Seal said.
Seal felt that Demontre Baham had a real good day.
Baham intercepted two passes and deflected another that turned into an interception.
“He just needs reps and just needs to keep on getting work,” Seal said.
For Varnado, first-year head coach Milton Green said he saw intensity, aggressiveness, guys moving around and flying to the ball.
“We played a good opponent,” Green said. “Pine, you could tell, has good experience, well coached staff over there, they do things right. We have to focus on the Xs and Os, the mental side of the game, the mental process of learning our reads, our calls on offense and defense.
“I think the guys did a good job of picking up on the scheme we put in at the last minute. Slowly, but surely, it’s coming around, one day at a time.”
Green said he was happy with the play of quarterback Zyquantay Bickham.
Bickham threw three touchdowns.
“He did a great job today. He made some great reads, made some great throws to be a young guy, first time out there,” Green said.
Green said that Zantonio Peters, one of their senior leaders, did a great job.
Green also said that Jaheim Hooks and Trevin Haynes all contributed with good plays.
Hooks caught two touchdowns and intercepted a pass.
Varnado took a 1-0 lead when Bickham connected with Peters.
Pine tied the game on the ensuing possession when Logan Temples threw a touchdown pass to Jordan Anderson.
Bickham threw to Hooks to put the Wildcats in front, 2-1.
Pine tied things once again when Nikki Lee passed to Adrianuen Johnson.
The Raiders went in front, 3-2, on a touchdown pass from Temples to Anderson.
Pine made it a two-touchdown lead when Temples found Larry Williams.
Varnado pulled back within one on a scoring pass from Bickham to Hooks to make it 4-3.
Pine added one more on a pass from Brandon Sprehe to Kazyron Warren for the 5-3 win.
For the game, Temples threw three touchdowns while Lee and Sprehe threw one each.
Anderson caught two touchdowns with Johnson, Williams and Warren tallying one each.
Defensively, Baham intercepted two passes while Anterrius Walker and Johnson picked off a pass each.
Varnado’s Bickham threw three touchdown passes.
Two of them went to Hooks and one more to Peters.
Hooks also intercepted a pass.