Sparkman wraps up busy offseason with final tuneup
Sparkman quarterback Ladarius Forney
There were some familiar faces on the Sparkman practice field this week as new head coach Tim Gillespie put the Senators through a passing and lineman skills camp with his former team, Lawrence County.
While at Lawrence County, Gillespie hired current Red Devils Head Coach Rich Dutton and the two teams used their final play date to go through drills beneficial to both teams.
It was the last chance for players to go against another team before the official start of practice for all high school teams across Alabama on Monday August, 6.
“When we set this up we wanted this to be a less competitive camp as to who wins but it is an opportunity for our kids to get better working against another team,” Gillespie said. “Coaches are free to coach other players. If they see something wrong they just jump in there and coach them.”
“It causes you to focus more on fundamentals,” Gillespie said of the unique camp setup.
“You’re not worrying about drawing up a play to win a 7-on-7 game, you are going to run what you run during the season and train on the aspects of those plays and you can stop and go over and correct mistakes. It is a mutual benefit for both teams.”
Gillespie is returning several players on defense with experience but that is not the case on offense and the camps have been especially helpful for a Sparkman team that will have a first year starter at quarterback.
Ladarius Forney is in the mix at quarterback. He is a sophomore who is fleet footed but is coming off a lost season when injuries derailed his freshman year. Forney said the camps have helped him catch up.
“It helps me with my mechanics at quarterback like reading the defense and to get used to this offense. I’ve had a good summer working on fundamentals, just getting better every day. The 7-on-7 camps have helped us get our passing game down,” Forney said.
Sparkman did not have a spring practice because they did not have a head football coach at the time. Gillespie was brought in about the time school let out in May and has led the team through a busy and productive summer.
“It brought us back up, just happy to play football again,” Forney said of getting a new head coach in place. “He has made a big difference this summer through the workouts and camps. We have fun but we play hard,” Forney added.
Unlike most 7-on-7 competitions, the team’s coaches also worked linemen from both teams through blocking and pass rushing drills. It gave Sparkman linemen an opportunity to work against one of the most highly rated offensive tackles in the state of Alabama, Noah Armstrong of LawrenceCounty.
Armstrong, who has committed to South Alabama, is a senior and is 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds.
