The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Titans fare well in physical scrimmage
There’s no doubt Lorain is disappointed in how last season played out, with all the talent this team seemingly has at its disposal. The Titans wasted no time this preseason bringing in some of the state’s top teams to gauge where they stand with about three weeks to go until the season opener 7 p.m., Aug. 30 at Brunswick.
Lorain hosted Akron Hoban, the 2018 Division II state champion and Glenville, a team that finished 8-2 last season, Aug. 9 in a scrimmage at George Daniel Field. After finishing 6-4 in 2018, missing the playoffs and handing the Lake Erie League title to Maple Heights, Coach Dave McFarland was more than
pleased with how the Titans approached the scrimmage — energized and ready to leave the disappointments of last season in the past.
“If you want to be good you’ve got to play good people, find out what your strengths and weaknesses are,” McFarland said. “We really only have about six returning guys. We’ve got some dudes that are returning who are really good but we don’t have a lot and we need to find players, and I thought we found some
guys today who really want to get in there and play. It’s gonna be exciting to watch the film and evaluate.”
The Titans core group of playmakers return as seniors this year.
Quarterback Jordan Jackson is back, this time calling the plays himself, and he has all of his favorite targets back with him, including running backs Daylin Dower and Savon Chavis and receiver Tyshawn Lighty.
Jackson got right to work connecting with each of them for touchdowns against both Hoban and Glenville, with Dower and Lighty making several electrifying plays those around Lorain have come to recognize.
“It was a lot of learning today,” Jackson said. “Learning what plays we can run against certain defenses, what that looks like, and Akron Hoban being one of the best teams, that was the best opportunity for us.”
While the offensive firepower has never really been in question, McFarland was concerned about the defense’s physicality coming into the scrimmage, but quickly realized this is not the same Lorain team as last year.
The Titans put up monster hits against players, who on paper, are bigger and stronger, and the defense was finally on par with the offense.
“Those hits woke me up today,” Chavis, who plays both ways for Lorain, said. “It felt really good.”
“That’s a big step from last year,” McFarland added. “We weren’t physical last year and we tried to work on being more physical, having a more tough
mental attitude and we want them to always be gentlemen in school and in society but out here in football you’ve got to have a little more intensity so I was real proud of that.”
With three weeks until the season opener at Brunswick, McFarland and his staff are now concerned about using the remaining
practices and scrimmages to perfect the little details that can often go overlooked.
But the sixth-year coach is encouraged by his team’s performance in its first scrimmage against one of Ohio’s very best teams.
“Ever ybody j umps around because there was a big hit or a big play but
that doesn’t mean 10 other guys didn’t do something wrong,” McFarland said. “Football can be deceiving that way. I told the kids they should feel good about the physicality that they were able to hit and play with these guys, but now we’ve got to really pay attention to the little details.”