By RYAN WALKER
If you thought this scrimmage was an easy-going walk-through, I’ll let Bluffton head coach Brent Kunkel squash that idea.
“That’s why I like this scrimmage — there’s some juice to it,” he said afterward. “Kids know each other, we don’t play in the regular season, but you still get to come out here and play. There’s a little bit of heat to it, which is good.”
The two teams were a perfect fit for one another, and yes, including the Wells County rivalry factor.
Norwell, who is ranked No. 10 in 3A in the IFCA preseason poll, graduated a truckload of seniors last year and trying to sort out the starting 11 on both sides of the ball. Bluffton, a step lower in 2A and has received votes, returns nearly all of its starters and is coming off of a sectional title.
With that in mind, the night was about as even as it could get. The Knights and Tigers both shined in different areas on offense and defense but also had some kinks to work out too.
“We know that there’s some potential there,” Norwell head coach Josh Gerber said after the scrimmage. “But there’s some T’s to cross, and I’s to dot before we’re ready to go and play a full game.”
Gerber said that he was pleased with the way his unit adjusted and responded throughout the night with the lack of experience returning from last year.
The puzzle that is the starting 11 is one thing, but the other is who will be behind center for the Knights this year. At media day up in Fort Wayne a month ago, Gerber told me that juniors Drew Graft and Alex Fojtik were the guys in competition. Tonight, perhaps, was the final audition for the two as they went back and forth taking snaps.
Since the scrimmage style was set up for plays in certain scenarios (at each 35-yard line and 10-yard line), we got to see what both could do. The two are very similar other than Graft being a lefty, but both are dual-threat guys that can sling it around a little bit.
“I thought they both handled themselves well, and I thought they played pretty well — I thought they did some nice things,” Gerber said of Graft and Fojtik Friday night. “I was pleased with both of their performances, and we’ll look at the film, and we’ll evaluate and move forward.”
Of course, I had to ask if Gerber had an idea of who will be the starter, and I got the answer I was expecting.
“We’ll have one soon, but you won’t find out about it until Friday,” he siad with a smile.
On a side note, Cohen Bailey had my favorite two-play sequence of the night. As a safety, he was playing higher up and came toward the line of scrimmage and popped the Bluffton back for a two-yard gain. The very next play on fourth and four, he picked off a pass and would have gone all the way for a touchdown.
Bluffton threw some punches of its own.
I thought Senior quarterback Braxton Betancourt, had a really nice night, and Kunkel agreed. The offensive line certainly helps, returning all letterman from a year ago to the squad, which allowed for some dimes in the air and even showcasing the legs a little bit.
Betancourt tossed some pretty touchdown throws and, in the third session, really tore up the Knight’s defense with a pair of deep throws in the endzone.
The unfortunate part for the Tigers was sophomore running back Khamel Moore, who I’ve been excited to see. He was sidelined with an injury, and there’s no telling when he will be back, but it would be a bummer as his skill level is off the charts.
Ben Ramseyer and Tucker Jenkins pounded the rock well tonight in place of Moore. Jenkins is a wide receiver, but when given the ball on the ground will be a bruiser with his six-foot-two, 210-pound stocky frame. I assume that Ramseyer will get the majority of the carries next week if Moore is not ready and is a fine replacement.
On defense, the Tigers had their moments. They got bullied around during run plays in the early going but also got in the backfield for a few sacks. Jenkins had two of them.
Overall, both squads showed some flashes of what they could be, and they have a week to fine-tune themselves before week one.
“It feels good to come off the field and feel like we did a lot of good things,” Kunkel said. “But the grind really starts tomorrow, and we’ve got a lot to work on before Northfield.
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