Trojans dammed up by Beavers in preseason scrimmage
GLEN ROSE — Despite scoring backto-back touchdowns in the final 2:30 of the second period, Hot Springs was unable to overcome the Glen Rose Beavers, falling 2814 in Tuesday night’s scrimmage at Beaver Stadium.
The game, originally scheduled to be held at Tommy J. Holt Memorial Field at Joe Reese Stadium, was moved to Glen Rose due to work on the Trojans’ track that was scheduled to begin early this week. It consisted of two 12-minute periods before a 12-minute running-clock period for junior varsity.
Despite the outcome, Hot Springs head coach Darrell Burnett said he saw some positives from the players, but there is still work to be done.
“Our kids showed it in their run on the field,” he said. “They didn’t give up. We had some people step up and try to be leaders that normally don’t. We had some positives in it, but our standards are going to always be high. So, losing is not going to be a plus, ever.”
Both teams struggled to get things going early, but Glen Rose took the lead with 4:04 left in the opening period as Jayshawn Cox ran the ball in from four yards out. Colby Steed split the uprights to make it 7-0.
The Beavers went on to take a 28-0 lead before the Trojans managed to get onto the scoreboard.
“We went with our ones offensively,” said Glen Rose head coach Mark Kehner. “If they weren’t starting on offense, we started some different guys on defense. We kind of went completely one way for two quarters there, so I was really pleased with some young guys getting under the lights and doing the things they were doing. … I thought our kids played hard. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of things to get better at, but I was pleased tonight.”
After a 32-yard run from Caleb Barr and a 16-yard touchdown run from Cox, the Trojans got the ball on their own 25. Senior quarterback Aaron Williams found junior Terrance Floyd wide open on the near sideline, and Floyd ran the ball in for the touchdown. Sophomore Juan Aquino kicked the point after to pull Hot Springs within 28-7 with 2:28 remaining in the second period.
“We didn’t even cover the guy,” Kehner said. “We only had 10 guys on the field, so we don’t have a cornerback.”
Glen Rose got off just five plays before the Trojan defense forced a punt. Williams again aimed for Floyd, but the junior gained just 44 yards on the play.
Williams aimed for the far sideline where junior Santiair Thomas was unable to touch the ball, but when Williams aimed for the same spot on the ensuing play, Thomas reeled in the ball and carried it to the end zone for the Trojans’ second score of the night at the 40.8-second mark. Aquino’s kick was again good to set the score at 28-14.
“The other guy, I mean, we just got bullied,” Kehner said. “That’s part of it. We’ve got to go up and compete with that guy, and we didn’t. We wanted to try to blame an official and have him throw a flag, but at the end of the day their guy wanted the ball more, and he won.”
Williams was 7-for-19 on the night for 190 yards with one interception, and he rushed six times for 15 yards. Floyd had five receptions for 136 yards while Thomas had one for 46. Spencer Johnson had five touches for 20 yards.
“He did (have a good game), but he’s got to step up and be more of a leader,” Burnett said of Williams. “Throwing passes as a quarterback is just part of it, but you’ve got to step up and be a leader, get everyone to do their job, get everyone to play better than what they really are.
“We’ve all got room to grow — players, coaches, everybody. I made a couple bad calls and blitzed some linebackers, and they threw some strings, so we’ve all got stuff to work on. We’ll get it fixed, but we’ve got to change the mentality first.
Thomas led the Trojans defensively with 10 tackles.
“We’ve got to handle adversity, listen to our coaches and be fundamentally sound,” Burnett said. “And the biggest thing is we can’t be soft. The game of football is not made for a coward or the weak. It’s made for young men who want to hit people, be physical, run to the ball, tackle, block. Until we get the mindset right, the football part doesn’t matter.”
Glen Rose quarterback J.T. Towers went 7-for-18 on the night for 64 yards with one interception, and he rushed four times for 38 yards.
“I was really pleased,” Kehner said. “For the first time, he’s healthy and playing. He’s a junior by grade but really a 10th-grader as far as playing ball games.
“You can see the difference between the first and second quarter. I felt like he was a whole different player the second quarter. He kind of settled into what he’s capable of doing for us, and that’s going to be good things. If he continues to get better, we have a chance to be a good football team.”
Cox had 17 touches for 113 yards to lead all rushers, and Barr had five carries for 43 yards. Jace Haynes had two catches for 20 yards, Matthew Clark had three for 17 and Cox had one for 16.
The Trojans are scheduled to open their season on Aug. 30 when they host Fountain Lake in the First Security Bank Kickoff Classic. Glen Rose will host Malvern on Aug. 31 to open its season.