Here ya go. Remember I type super fast
FH got Bridgeport first with the ball. First 10 plays FH had like 4 yards of total offense, not a single first down. Bridgeport gets the ball and blasts FH. Three touchdowns in 10 plays. You could see the new wide-eyed FH players were in shell shock. You could here the senior Jabril getting on his teammates. The very young and inexperienced line was getting blasted off the ball. What was good to see however was the quick rebound. FH got the ball back for another 10 offensive plays with the first units still in and put 3 touchdowns on the board against the Bridgeport defense. It looked like typical FH football. Then Bridgeport went back to offense and FH put in all the backups. That wasn't pretty.
From there on out the rest of the scrimmage, as always, is a tough read because FH every five snaps is using different players at every position. The rotation is vast and hard to follow. In fact, the very first possession against Bridgeport, the OL that was in there for FH was not the same OL that was in there for the second offensive series. FH coaches do a fantastic job with how they utilize a scrimmage. They really do not care about the score counting. They are strictly looking at who can play where. On at least a dozen occasions while on the field I had to ask a FH coach the name of the player here or there. Names I am not familiar with.
Felt like FH played Clarkson North fairly even. Again, just too much player rotation for anyone to get a great feel of where the team sits this early. One aspect was clear though drawing Bridgeport first, you can see FH was working on three days of practice in pads. Bridgeport has two extra weeks of practice and a prior scrimmage under their belt. That's why it's very difficult for Maryland public schools to open with anything WV. But it's a scrimmage so no one cares. Had this been the season opener, that would not be equal footing.
On that note, Bridgeport is as about as physical of an offense as you will ever see. I was forewarned by the Parkersburg contingent who scrimmaged Bridgeport last week, that their line was big, strong and mostly second year starters. Boy howdie they are good. I don't see the Bridgeport defense however as being so dominant. FH has very good success throwing the ball against them and the Canadian team with a very good QB threw the ball very well against them the entire time. But I believe Bridgeport is the favorite to win a Class 3A title for good reason.
FH got Central last and at that point the mix-match of kids getting in was even more widespread.
If you are asking me for a general read on FH, what we knew pretty much off-season rang true. There are a slew of big time skill players. For as good as Ross and Bender were last season, they are on another whole level now in comparison. Ross knows the playbook now, is a great receiver and his running skills are way, way ahead of his junior year. Bender can move, juke and turn out big runs. Jabril is Jabril. We got a major scare the second play of the Quad when Jabril went down and had to be helped up while holding his leg. Turned out he tore a great deal of skin off his shin, they bandaged it and he kept playing for a few more series. He's fine, but it was an OH NO moment. No significant injuries for any team today - thankfully.
Two QBs saw rotating action - the senior Cassell and the junior House. I don't wish to make any calls on that battle. Both did well and both have some things to work on. Yes, Willison is at TE. I can see him also playing guard, fullback, DE, DT, LB. He can play any position.
The line on both sides is the big question mark. All new faces with a load of sophomores and juniors. Just very raw after three days in pads. This will be a massive work in progress. The good news is they have a good many bodies to work with on the line this year. The first series to open the Quad with Bridgeport was a little scary. Watching them rebound was a very good sign. Pass blocking wasn't too bad either. But as expected, many missed assignments (both from the backs and lineman blocking), not enough physical explosion yet with uncertainty of the assignment. But you can see a good future. Hopefully that development time comes sooner than later. Or yea that's going to be a problem. There was no way to pick out a stand out up front. The senior #70 for FH (came over after sitting out two years at Alco) at left tackle is bigger than I thought. Good size. He started on the DL today and played a great deal on the OL. He is going to help FH quite a bit. They all have a long way to go both individually and as a unit.
FH defense too was using a ton of players in rotation. None of them have been practicing much pass rush yet, not sure who the starting linebackers would be if the season started today. FYI, Younger is about 215 lbs at safety. Yikes, he looks like a prime specimen. I look at these concepts as positive in the sense they have some bodies to work with. Like most years, the drop off after those first 15-20 players is very significant like we saw versus Cambridge last year after a 32-0 lead.
This is the youngest FH team I can remember in some time. Going to be an exciting year as the schedule is very, very difficult. This team could lose 3-4 games and still be in Annapolis come December. They could also run the table if the line can gel fast enough. I much prefer a difficult schedule with everyone making the playoffs. While on the field at the Quad I recall talking to coaches and we all agreed we were happy to see FH draw the tough teams at the Quad. That's how you learn. It would have done them no good to play a much weaker opponent in this opening scrimmage. The same applies for the regular season. The schedule is well built to get this team ready for the post season. I would never look past any season, this team can win state with a huge load of skill talent. But 2025 and 2026 is going to be real stout. The young players are very good.