The Lumberjacks and their fans took over the Redwood Bowl April 21 for their annual intersquad Green & Gold Scrimmage. Defense suited up in their green home jerseys while offense suited up in their away white jerseys.
“I thought [defense] was successful,” coach Wheeler said. “They were fundamentally sound, which caused all of the turnovers.”
Defense finished the scrimmage with a total of four interceptions and one fumble recovery. They only let offense score two touchdowns and won the scrimmage 35-14.
“I knew the ball was in my hands,” defensive back Alonzo Davis said. “Once I got tackled, I got up hyped and knew this was my game.”
Davis had the first interception of the scrimmage and as a Lumberjack. Davis is a freshman and will be joining the Jacks for his first official collegiate season in fall 2018.
Defensive back Herman Ochoa picked up another interception, along with linebacker Demetrick Watts who walked away with two interceptions and the most stops on defense.
“The whole game I just knew that wherever the ball was was where I had to be,” Watts said.
Watts is a redshirt sophomore who is looking forward to the fall season and watching all of their hard work in the weight room and during practice pay off.
Although offense struggled to finish in the end zone, running backs Jonathan Branch and Tyree Marzetta helped put some points on the board.
“Offense is coming along,” coach Wheeler said. “They had a few big plays and I thought it was a competitive game on both sides.”
The stands of the Redwood Bowl held enough fans on Saturday to create an encouraging and supportive atmosphere for the Jacks. They get a little vacation before things kick off for their first season game at Midwestern State on Sept. 1.
“Our energy was good,” coach Wheeler said, “and these [young men] had fun, but most importantly, we came out healthy.”
Photos by Garrett Goodnight.