The Colon (2-4) football team is trying to end a four-game skid tonight in a Southern Central Athletic Conference game at North Adams-Jerome. The Magi (0-3 SCAA) at least are moving in a positive direction on the injury front, coach Darrin VandenBerg said. He took some time to participate in a brief Q&A for this week’s report.
You’ve been crushed by injuries this season; how are the guys doing health wise this week?
“We are slowly getting healthier. Two of our players, Corey Collins and Andrew Mock, have been completely cleared from broken bones acquired early in the season. Chase Farrand got cleared today but has not practiced in two weeks. All three of those players will be in a limited role tomorrow.”
What do you anticipate seeing from North Adams-Jerome, which is 2-4 overall and winless in the league?
“North Adams likes to pound the ball between their tight ends running lots of off tackle dive and lead. If we are going to stop them we will have to stop that part of their attack. Their quarterback is a decent runner that we have to account for in the running game.”
What was the focus this week in practice?
“We made a positional change at quarterback this week. Daniel Alva (freshman) will be taking over quarterback duties. While only a freshman, he is in his third year of running our system and has a very good understanding of our expectations. He will be replacing Ryan Napier (junior) at this position. Ryan is a great ball carrier and runs well. With Daniel taking over our QB duties we will be able to utilize Ryan more on defense as well as other areas on offense.”
Who has shined on special teams this year?
“Gabe Keely has done a spectacular job on special teams since making the move to our varsity squad a few short weeks ago. He is always one of the first defenders down to the ball on our coverage teams and has made some great runs on our return teams.”