Area teams get first taste of gridiron

Marlow, Central High and Bray-Doyle all hit the football field for the first time this season in initial scrimmages.
Each team noted there is work to be done, as each spent this week preparing for tonight’s final scrimmages.
The Wing-T offense worked well for the Outlaws on Friday night in Pauls Valley.
Marlow’s first unit offense scored three times in two series against the Panthers, and the first team defense held the Panther offense in check.
Marlow’s first score came after a couple of run plays were stymied. Returning quarterback Wakley Bergner connected with Ethan Elroy, who outran the PV secondary for the score.
First-year head coach Jeremy Gage was pleased with the passing game, but noted that the running game will continue to need work.
Gage said he was pleased with the energy from his Outlaws, which were over 50 strong Friday night, and that the execution was at a high level.
He also said that the defensive unit swarmed to the ball well.
Alternating offenses against one defense was the method used at Bray last Thursday.
Bray-Doyle head coach Warren Butler said there is still some work left for his team, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Butler, whose Donkeys were 0-10 last season, said the first offensive unit began with several broken plays.
Defensively, Butler said the team is a lot closer to being ready for the lights of Friday night.
With the exception of some breakdowns in the secondary, most parts of the defense had a strong outing.
Butler noted the linebackers, including Gage Wood, Aaron Price and Heath Maxwell, did a good job.
In a rare occurrence, the Donkeys scrimmaged two teams that they will play this season in Waurika and Maysville. Bray-Doyle will host Maysville in its home opener on Sept. 17, and host Waurika on senior night on Oct. 29. Waurika is a district mate of Bray-Doyle’s (A-4), while Maysville resides in district A-5.
The endzone was a common place for the Central High offense on Friday night. As part of a 5-way scrimmage at Broncho field, the Bronchos found paydirt in six of its first 10 plays.
First-year skipper Colin Watkins said there were several positives, but some areas continued to need work. One such area was blocking, the coach said.
A positive that came out of an area of concern was the play of Tanner Childers at cornerback. The secondary is made up of a couple of players that are new to the position, and Watkins noted it was good to see some strong play from those positions.
The play of returning starters Kyler Newton, at quarterback, and Jeremy Russell, as receiver, also received high marks from the Broncho coaching staff.