SHEPHERD — The Shepherd Pirates got a valuable preseason test Friday as they welcomed the highly athletic Orangefield Bobcats to town for an intense scrimmage that gave both teams an opportunity to fine-tune their systems before the regular season begins.
Orangefield enters the season with plenty of confidence after advancing two rounds deep in the playoffs last year. For Shepherd, facing that level of competition this early was exactly the kind of challenge the Pirates needed. A preseason scrimmage is about much more than the scoreboard. It is a chance to evaluate new players, learn the playbook, work on assignments and, perhaps most importantly, stay healthy.
With Shepherd players known for giving maximum effort on every snap, keeping everyone healthy remains a major priority as the Pirates prepare for the regular season.
One of the evening's biggest moments came when Ben Coyle broke loose along the sideline and turned on the speed, bringing the Shepherd crowd to its feet. The big play was a glimpse of what the Pirates hope their preseason conditioning and preparation will produce when the games begin to count.
Head Coach Miles Robison was pleased with what he saw from both sides of the football.
“I thought overall we played very well on both sides of the ball. The offensive line and running backs, Ben Coyle and Jacoryey Davis, were able to execute some big plays. Kyler Syracuse ran the offense effectively.”
Robison also praised the defensive effort, pointing to Brayden White and Michael Weekes for applying pressure to Orangefield's quarterback while emphasizing that the defense played together as a unit.
There is still work to be done, however, with Robison identifying ball security as one of the Pirates' biggest areas of improvement.
