Patriots complete first week in pads, sights now set on scrimmage games
The numbers may be low but Palestine-Wheatley head football coach Paxton Crawford and his staff are still looking toward next week's preseason scrimmage games against Forrest City.
The Patriots, due to staff orientation days this week have been hitting the practice field at 6 a.m.
"It's really been our only option to get in the work we need to," Crawford said in a recent text. "No real updates to talk about. We are just trying to prepare for the scrimmage games."
Crawford's junior high Patriots will host the Forrest City junior high on Thursday and the varsity teams will scrimmage at Sam Smith Stadium on Friday.
Crawford says he may only have 15 players dressed for the Friday scrimmage format which is still being determined.
"Forrest City Coach (Teli) White mentioned something about starting from inside the 10 yard line and using four plays to try and score," Crawford said, "We will probably run 30 offensive and defensive plays in segments of 10 plays each. We will know more about the format this coming week."
Low numbers have hampered the Patriots practice sessions this week which led to no real updates headed into this week.
Beginning Monday, the Patriots will lift in the mornings and gather for afternoon practice sessions.
Crawford, who took over the P-W football program when Carey Knowlton resigned at the end of the previous school year after three seasons as head coach, is assisted by former Wynne coach Steve Sherland and former Forrest City seventh grade head coach Mark Main.
Forrest City Junior Mustangs coach Chris Siler and his revamped coaching staff are counting on a 25 player roster headed into this coming week of practice and the Thursday scrimmage game.
Siler said the Junior Mustangs will run the same offensive and defensive formats as the varsity Mustangs will under first year coach Teli White.
Thursday's scrimmage game will be the first time for Siler, a Palestine-Wheatley Patriot and graduate, to return to the Patriot football field since the 2001 season, Siler's senior year under then head coach Terry Farmer.
Following the Aug. 19 scrimmage game, the Junior Mustangs, coming off a 2-7 season a year go, will open the season on Aug. 26, by hosting Jonesboro MacArthur in the first of three nonconference games.