]”A work in progress.”
That’s St. Paul High School football coach Pete Gonzalez’s progress report on the Swordsmen after they played their Blue-White scrimmage Saturday.
“It went OK,” Gonzalez said of the intrasquad scrimmage. “We were playing a (simulated) game, hoping to see where our players stand, and to fix some things. We’re still trying to find the right combinations.”
One of the Gonzalez’s priorities is finding the right equation in the offensive line. The Swordsmen may have taken a step closer to the solution, but he’s still looking.
“It’s a work in progress,” Gonzalez said. “We’re still moving guys around. Nothing is set. The good thing is the players and coaches are working hard to get it settled.”
It appears the offense in general will rely more on execution than surprises, at least for the time being.
“We did OK overall,” Gonzalez said. “We’re a pretty basic team (offensively) right now, at least until we get it down. A work in progress. We’re not going to move forward to the complicated stuff until we get the little things right first.”
Linebacker Michael Demery, a transfer from Mayfair, was impressive.
“He’s a very smart player,” Gonzalez said. “He pays attention and works hard. He knows our stuff already.”
Gonzalez also cited the efforts of Luis Garcia, who is doubling as a running back/defensive back.
“He can do a lot of things,” Gonzalez said. “We’re very fortunate to have someone like him.”
The Swordsmen worked without Darius Bratcher, another transfer from Mayfair, who fractured two ribs in practice and is questionable for Friday’s game.
That means Garcia, junior Jared Morales and returning letterman Deion Williams will get most of the reps against Servite in Friday’s season opener.
Also missing Saturday was linebacker Markus Viramontes, who is recovering from surgery that removed a tumor from his toe.