By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — A standing summer tradition will continue tonight as the Byrd Yellowjackets will travel eastward to James Field at Hoss Garrett Stadium for an annual scrimmage set to begin at 6 p.m.
“It’s going to be really beneficial for us to get an opporutnity for the kids to play against someone else and really try to start finalizing our what our roster looks like and who is going to be where,” Ruston High Head Coach Jerrod Baugh said. “As a coaching staff, you try to start solidifying some of these things. There’s been some years that this can roll into the regular season, and that’s not the best case scenario. I think this scrimmage will help us get an indication of that and hope to be able to iron some of that stuff out.
“And two, it’s good to have competitions in some of these spots – that’s always good. It’s a constant evaluation process, and this scrimmage against a good football team in Byrd will help us indicate where we are in some of those spots.”
The event will consist of two rounds of controlled scrimmages, where each first-, second- and third-team offenses and defenses will get a set nmumber of plays against each other.
During the controlled scrimmages, the ball is spotted on the 25 yard line, and if a team does not gain a first down in three downs, it will be moved back to the 25. Once inside the opponent’s 30-yard line, a team may choose to go for it on fourth down. If a team is inside the 10 yard line when their allotted number of plays are up, they may continue the drive until they score or are stopped.
Field goals, PATs, and penalties do not count as snaps toward a teams number of plays, and penalties will be marked off.
Both freshmen squads will also have their own separate controlled scrimmage.
Follwoing the rounds of controlled scrimmage, there will be a live scrimmage of two 12-minute halves. Both teams will have the chance to work on offense and defense in two-minute drills.
Fans that wish to attend will need to go to Ruston High’s GoFAN page to purchase tickets for $6 apiece. The scrimmage is set to start at 6 p.m.
