Flyers, Truckers get final tune-ups in

NORWALK — The end of summer is near for high school athletes entering fall sports. On an extremely warm Wednesday at Contractors Stadium, that was pretty clear for both the Norwalk and St. Paul football teams on July 23. The Truckers and Flyers entertained Margaretta and Seneca East as the four teams held 7-on-7 passing scrimmages against each other. Though Norwalk still has a passing scrimmage on Thursday at Western Reserve, the end of summer workouts has arrived. The first official practice for the 2025 season is this Friday (Aug. 1). Three weeks later, kickoff for Week 1 has arrived. For St. Paul, it was the third passing scrimmage in a two-week period. The Flyers visited Bellevue along with Seneca East on July 10 and hosted Mohawk on July 17. "Overall really pleased with the growth we've made in two weeks," second-year head coach Chris Doughty said. "We've had success so far in all of them, but the reality is with the guys we have coming back, we should have success. "The majority of our skilled kids are back from last year, so that is one of our strengths coming in. It was good though, that the expectation was there — and that they rose to the occasion. I'm really pleased with the growth of our young players. I thought they played with more confidence and did a good job with the schemes and understanding their responsibilities." Doughty is expecting just over 40 players out this season. Though that will include just five seniors — many who are key two-way returners — he also has 18 juniors on the roster. "We're really excited to get some pads on, and really we're pleased with our five seniors and their growth in leadership from the spring to now," Doughty said. "It is very evident this is their team. They have embraced their roles, and because of that, I think we've seen quicker growth than maybe some other seasons. "They have very high expectations of their teammates, and that is showing up on a regular day-to-day basis." St. Paul will host Keystone on Aug. 8 and visit Mohawk on Aug. 15 for its two preseason scrimmages. The Flyers then entertain Port Clinton in the season opener on Aug. 23. "Now it's to the point where we're done wearing the helmets, and the next time we face an opponent it will be full contact," Doughty said. "And that is where we will see where we're really at. It's been good doing the passing scrimmages. "But now it's time to put the pads on and do some live drills with the blocking and pass rush to get a lot better idea of who we are. It's exciting, and we're looking forward to getting started next week." For Norwalk, the passing scrimmages don't serve a big purpose in the grand scheme from an offensive standpoint. The Truckers will be running the Wing-T offense this fall. "Today was an opportunity to practice against other varsity caliber players, which is good, because with our numbers, we are seeing a lot of varsity versus JV time," third-year head coach Keith Mora said. "Some of the early flaws we had is the difference in speed. A lot of our guys haven't had to play at a varsity speed to this point, so it was good to see that. They adjusted very quickly and rebounded very well." Mora said the biggest aspect for the passing scrimmages is for his team to find ways to work on themselves. "We have to keep the main thing the main thing, and we are a run-first football team," he said. "Today isn't really conducive to what we do. Everything we are built on is around play action and a short three-step pass game. That's not great in the 7-on-7 world. "So it was a matter of trying to get everyone to understand what we're about, and work on the things we can work on with coverages and things like that. There are things we just started working on (July 22) that we put in today, and I told the kids this is a practice. We're not hiding anything. No one "wins" a 7-on-7 scrimmage. We're going to work on things and get better, and I think we did that today, so I'm pleased with that." After heading to Western Reserve on Thursday, Mora said the Truckers will be focused more on the running game. Norwalk hosts Clear Fork on Aug. 9 and Shelby on Aug. 15 in two scrimmages before opening the season on Aug. 22 at Toledo Start. "I'm thankful we did it this way this year with two 7-on-7s in a two-week period of time, because I can't stand looking at it for too long," he said. "Nothing is ever aligned correctly. Running backs are suddenly running routes up against the backs of the center, which isn't possible in a real game. You can also make some bad habits as well. "It's nice to work on some pass coverages and the passing game on offense. I told the kids today was a passing focused practice, then we will focus on the run tomorrow. We will do that same thing again after Thursday. Come that first day, we will focus more on the run and tilt the scale back to being balanced again."