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Warriors host Bobcats in Week 0 scrimmage

WORLAND — Week 1 of the Worland Warrior football season kicks off against the Powell Panthers next week. But before then, the Warriors close out their training camp with a Week 0 scrimmage against the Hot Springs County Bobcats tomorrow at Warriors Stadium.

Hosting the Bobcats for tomorrow’s Week 0 scripted scrimmage gives the Warriors a chance to correct some things that came up during the team’s inter-squad scrimmage last Saturday.

“We just want to fix those things from the inter-squad scrimmage,” said WHS football coach Patrick Sweeney. “We just want to play as much as possible. We want to get a look at as many scenarios as we can. We’re correcting things we saw on Saturday. Then from there, we’ll correct what we need from Thermopolis to get ready for Powell.

“We really flew around on defense. It was an old Wyoming coach that said, ‘If your defense is behind your offense, it’s going to be a long year.’ It’s all about being tough, being aggressive and our pursuit.”

The Warriors have 48 players on the roster this season. For last week’s inter-squad scrimmage, they divided the teams evenly by talent.

Offensively, both teams struggled to get anything going. However, the big highlight of the scrimmage was the play by both defenses.

“We split the teams up evenly. We saw some kids pursuing the football who were hyper-physical and aggressive off the ball. The defense was definitely the highlight. The offense - you could say it was timing and rhythm. They’re not used to playing with each other, but we coach everything the same. That side will need some more work.

“That’s where you want to be. You want your defense flying around and being tough first. Then you want your offense to create timing and chemistry that just takes time,” said Sweeney. “At the start of the season, you have the most amount of positions to coach and most types of scenarios to coach in the least amount of time. The scrimmage showed good things but also showed we’ve got some work to do.”

This year’s team also includes newcomers to the sport, Trae Bennett and Court Gonsalez. Bennett was a standout center back for the Warriors championship soccer team in the spring. Gonsalez is an all-state basketball player and a key player in the Warriors championship soccer team.

“Trae and Court have been outstanding additions. They’re starting to figure things out, as are the other new kids. We’ve added a few sophomores who should help us out. We’ve got to be really patient, and if we’ve got to teach things a thousand times, that’s what we said we’d do as coaches,” Sweeney said.

As for returners, the Warriors return all-state QB Kade Weber, receiver Brock Douzenis, receiver Carter Clark and Chase Johnson, to name a few.

One thing Sweeney has brought to his seniors and returners this season is a sense of ownership. If players take that sense of ownership and pride in the program, Sweeney knows it will only improve the team’s leadership.

“I haven’t put a lot of leadership on their plate, but I’ve tried to put more ownership on their plate. If guys buy into the ownership, the leadership will take care of itself. Guys that want to keep the team accountable and raise the bar are the things we’re looking for. Kade, Brock, Carter and Chase Johnson, those guys are really stepping up. They’ve led with words and actions. If it doesn’t start with them, then they don’t really have anyone to look up to,” said Sweeney.

Weber had a busy offseason attending multiple camps and even going to the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The senior QB is the Warriors only returning all-state player from last season.

From the offseason work to the first weeks of practice, Sweeney has already seen Weber’s hard work start to pay off.

“It wasn’t just going to one camp, but it was his consistency. He was throwing every day. He was lifting every day. He went to multiple camps and not just for football. With his commitment and consistency, he’s grown quite a bit. We’re excited to see that in action,” said Sweeney.