Spring game a hit for WM

Spring game a hit for WM

The West Memphis Blue Devils are finished with spring football practice, but the work and the competition for starting spots only continue.

Last Friday at Hamilton-Shultz Field, the Blue Devils flew through a onehour, 10-minute scrimmage with much energy and enthusiasm. Head coach Billy Elmore, however, refused to call it anything more than what it was.

'It was a spring game,' he said, matter-of-factly. 'We came out of it healthy, that's the main thing.

Offensively, we'd look good, and then we'd shoot ourselves in the foot with a turnover. One way to look at it is our defense was creating turnovers, but it's hard to tell because you're playing yourselves. Did the offense look that bad, or did the defense look that good? Regardless, it's something we can carry over into the summer and build off of.'

And that's where more work begins. Besides the team's regular weight and conditioning workouts during the summer, Elmore and the Blue Devils will have a schedule of sevenon- seven games and team camps.

Elmore said the biggest thing to come out of spring practice was the competition for playing spots.

'I think we've got competition for every position,' he said. 'It adds a little depth that maybe we didn't have before. Competition is a great thing. Our kids don't want to get shown up in practice.'

Laying out all of spring practice and the spring game was rising junior Amaury Stinnett, projected to be at least one of the

leaders vying for the starting quarterback job.

Stinnett injured a knee last season playing junior varsity ball and Elmore said the quick and savvy leader should be released by his doctor in early June, in time enough to get in enough reps before preseason practice begins in August.

'He's already been doing some footballrelated things like throwing, but we have kept him out of contact drills,' said Elmore. 'Him being out has opened up the competition at quarterback. It'll come down to whoever's moving the ball.'

By Billy Woods WM School District