Scrimmage Notes: Blackman vs. Ensworth
The official start of the 2021 football season hasn’t begun just yet but holding scrimmages this past weekend was a good way to kick off everything and simply hear some pads popping! Friday night in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Blackman hosted Ensworth…
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Continue ReadingThe official start of the 2021 football season hasn’t begun just yet but holding scrimmages this past weekend was a good way to kick off everything and simply hear some pads popping!
Friday night in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Blackman hosted Ensworth for each team’s 1st scrimmage of the Fall year and here we break down all the action between the Blaze and the Tigers.
Game Breakdown
Simply getting onto the field and being able to work on your stuff was the biggest thing for both Blackman and Ensworth on Friday night. Regardless of the results, both teams wanted action against somebody else that didn’t wear the same logo and it was nice to hit somebody that wasn’t your teammate.
You could tell early on that both teams needed this work and needed to figure out who they are and what their strengths would be going into the season. As it stands after this scrimmage, Ensworth is poised for a possible big year while the Blaze may be in a transition season.
The Tigers offense was able to control the line of scrimmage all night and their top stars were able to do almost anything they wanted throughout the contest. The Blaze defense had a hard time making penetration on the D-line while their backend wasn’t able to keep up with the Tigers talented pass catchers.
Rising junior receivers Shamar Porter Shamar Porter 6'3" | 200 lbs | WR Ensworth | 2023 State TN and Jacob Page Jacob Page 6'2" | 185 lbs | WR Blackman | 2023 State TN almost dominated their positions on Friday night as the Blaze defensive backs had a hard time keeping up or posing a threat to stop either wideout. The Ensworth offense did however stick to one side of the field most of the time as they wanted to stay away from Blackman’s talented junior defensive back Dyson Bell Dyson Bell 6'3" | 185 lbs | DB Riverdale | 2023 State TN .
Ensworth also had a good night on the ground running the ball with senior and new Furman commit, Charles Ingram V Charles Ingram V 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Ensworth | 2022 State TN and up and coming junior talent, Martez Cooksey, Jr.
Over on offense, Blackman had a better night of moving the ball compared to their defense who had a hard time stopping it. While the Blaze did have it’s struggles, which is expected right now, they showed signs of having an offense that can put up some numbers and keep their team in the game.
The Blaze will be led by talented rising junior quarterback Jack Risner Jack Risner 6'5" | 220 lbs | QB Blackman | 2023 State TN , who is an offseason transfer from Brentwood Academy. Risner is a big guy with sound mechanics and mobility. He needs to continue developing and adding strength but head coach Chandler Tygard has him a gunslinger to run his offense over the next few seasons.
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One of Risner’s top targets over the next few years will be junior tight end Ben Marshall Ben Marshall 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE Blackman | 2023 State TN . This 6’4 pass catcher immediately stood out to me on Friday night and was the most consistent receiver of anybody on the Blaze offense.
Both teams had their struggles and both teams were playing a lot of new players but it was great to get on the field and begin figuring out what each team has and what improvements must be made going forward.
Ensworth has the talent to make a possible deep playoff run this season while the Blaze could be looking at a long year as they develop under a new staff and system.
Game Notes
– Ensworth could possibly have the best overall secondary of anybody in this state but they must continue to work and develop if they want that status. The Tigers are led on the backend by talented seniors Roland McGhee Roland McGhee 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB Ensworth | 2022 State TN and Ingram V with rising juniors Cooksey, Jr, Brandon Bouie Brandon Bouie 6'1" | 195 lbs | DB Ensworth | 2023 TN and Dujuan Sharp filling out the rest of the starters. These five prospects are all college level recruits, so Ensworth has the talent on the backend to lockdown opposing receivers and work at having one of the best defenses in the state.
– Building blocks are there with Risner, Bell and Marshall for the Blaze to grow around those guys and push towards postseason play next season. Anything can happen, so you can’t say that the Blaze won’t be playing postseason ball this year but they have some talented underclassmen to lean on as the rest of the team develops.
– Coaches are currently sleeping on Ensworth O-lineman Phillip Gray Phillip Gray 6'4" | 300 lbs | OL Ensworth | 2022 State TN . This 6’4 burly offensive guard plays tackle for his Tigers team and showed Friday night why he does have college offers and why bigger schools should be looking at him. Gray dominated his position on Friday, moving people out of the way and getting to the 2nd level pretty easily. If Gray continues to play like he did on Friday, watch for bigger schools to get involved sooner than later.
– It may take some time but Coach Tygard will have a strong program that consistently competes for the playoffs because he knows how to put together an offense and score points. He has complete confidence in his guys and you could see that on Friday night as he called an up tempo, active game that allowed his players to make plays.
Now the Blaze doesn’t have the full talent or the horses right now that Coach Tygard needs for state title contention but the foundation is being put in place and the formula is there for long term success.