PITTSBORO — We’re a little over a month away from Northwood’s season-opening clash with Lee County on Aug. 19, but the Chargers aren’t waiting until the Yellow Jackets come to town to take the gridiron.
Last week, Northwood hosted a pair of 7-on-7 scrimmage events, allowing Chargers players an opportunity to test their skills against schools from across the region and giving coaches an early look at their squads well before the season begins.
“I thought everything went well, it was good to see the guys compete against students in other uniforms,” Chris Kenan, the Chargers’ head coach, told the News + Record. “It was a good first look for our guys. It just gives us a measuring stick before we get into the nitty gritty of the summer.”
Included in their opponents on June 28 were the Clayton Comets and the Fuquay-Varina Bengals, followed by the Pinecrest Patriots, Northern Durham Knights, Cary Imps and Bengals last Thursday.
Unlike normal organized games, 7-on-7 games are exactly what you’d expect: seven players from each team going head-to-head.
Games are 21 minutes long, with each offense starting at the 40-yard-line equipped with four downs to try and get a first down — which, unlike typical football, is 20 yards away from the original line of scrimmage instead of 10 — and then are given an additional four downs to score a touchdown.
On offense, teams are allowed to have six eligible players — a quarterback and five skill positions, usually running backs or wide receivers — along with an additional ineligible player who’s used to snap the ball. On defense, teams can have seven skill players to defend.
While 7-on-7 games are much different from your average 11-on-11 contest, Kenan said they still provide value for determining benchmarks and evaluating talent.
“We use it as a time to practice our coverages and our quick game and some of our passing game that we’ll be using mixed with our running game,” Kenan said. “I think we finished 2-2 (last Thursday). We don’t put a lot of weight into those outcomes in 7-on-7s. … It was just good to see guys in the beginning stages of the install put it to use in a competition.”
All of five of Northwood’s opponents last week were in the NCHSAA’s 4A classification, a step above the Chargers at 3A. That may have had an impact on the final results, with Northwood being forced to play against schools bigger than it, but Kenan said that his team facing off against tough competition in the preseason is the best way to get better.
“It’s just good to see our guys progress and learn certain skills as the summer is starting to grow,” Kenan said. “I thought our guys got better from Tuesday to Thursday. We’ve got a mantra, ‘Get 1% better every day,’ and in looking at the tape from Tuesday to Thursday, our guys are moving faster, you can tell they’re getting a better understanding. They asked questions after Tuesday’s games to have a better understanding for Thursday and you can see it in their play.
“The quarterbacks had trouble reading coverages on Tuesday and then Thursday, they came back and played a little better,” Kenan said. “Not all the time to my liking, but they saw certain things that were missing on Tuesday that we saw them hit on Thursday in the film.”
Last week marked the first time all offseason that Northwood had nearly every player in attendance, too.
Despite a couple of notable players being absent due to other workouts, the Chargers dressed 25 players last Thursday, around 80% of the team’s total roster.
That was a far cry from a couple of weeks ago, when the Chargers spent a day trekking across the Triangle — for 7-on-7 games at both UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan Stadium and N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium — with only 12 players.
“When we went to UNC and N.C. State, we went with 12 people and didn’t have anywhere near what we had (last) week,” Kenan said. “(Last week), we had double what we’re used to having. Some chemistry needs to take place and us playing together we’re going to have to get used to, but I’m confident in this group that they’re coming along.”
Northwood faced competition like Richmond, Heritage (Virginia) and Page at UNC before noon, then made the journey to Raleigh where they played Corinth Holders, Overhills and Sanderson, which was cut short in the afternoon due to storms.
In total, with just 12 players able to take the field, the Chargers played six games in one day at two of the state’s most iconic football venues.
“It was a great atmosphere that the guys got up for even though we were undermanned,” Kenan said. “The guys were up for the test.”
It was a test in resiliency, said Kenan, and his team passed with flying colors.
“They didn’t back down and it showed me a lot about my team,” Kenan said. “I know the guys were tired and we were shorthanded, but to win the first one and win the last one, I thought told me a lot about my team and the nucleus of guys. You can’t ask for much more going through schedules like that with 12 guys during a hot day on the turf. … They never complained. They did it with a smile on their faces.”
All of Northwood’s offseason workouts and scrimmages up to this point, despite not being at full strength, has Kenan excited about what he sees heading into his first season as the Chargers’ head coach.
“It’s just the competitive nature and competitive spirit of the guys. You’re going to have to beat them every time,” Kenan said. “It’s impressive to see the guys going to compete every day, every rep.”
Heading into the athletic dead period, however — which lasts from July 4-17 — there are still plenty of things the team needs to clean up, along with crucial decisions that still need to be made by the coaching staff.
Namely, the team’s starting quarterback.
“We have one of the hottest quarterback battles in the state right now between [junior] Carson Fortunes and [senior] Will Smith,” Kenan said. “They have to beat each other, literally, every single snap. One guy comes out one drive, he’s sharp and goes down to score. The next guy throws a pick, but doesn’t tuck his tail and comes back and throws darts. It’s just an every day battle.”
When asked whether he’s leaning more toward either one of the quarterback candidates, his answer is simple: Nope.
“It’s a rep-by-rep basis, you just never know,” Kenan said. “You close your eyes and you won’t know which one it is right now. Nobody’s took off and owned the job like I would want them to.”
For Kenan, one thing is for certain, though: this Chargers team has “bounce-back season” — from last year’s 4-6 finish — written all over it.
“It’s exciting to see. We’ve got a lot of options, and they’re good options to have … just seeing guys emerge on different drives and just battle for that ball and battle for that right and earn everything,” Kenan said. “We have some guys that may not have big names yet, but the state will know about them come December.”
Reporter Victor Hensley can be reached at vhensley@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @Frezeal33.