The Worth County Rams football program hosted their Black and Gold game at Milt Miller Field on Friday, May 17. While the annual scrimmage game gives hopeful football players the chance to suit up in pads and uniform and entertain the home crowd before the season begins, this most recent Black and Gold game also offered new Head Coach Jason Tone the opportunity to see his team in action while running a variety of plays and scenarios.
The Black and Gold Game serves as the tenth spring practice session, or the final practice before football season begins in the fall. However, in the scrimmage game, the prospective players are divided into opposing teams. The teams run plays from the 35, the 20, and the five yard line with real referees and a large crowd watching the up and coming Worth County Rams.
According to Coach Tone, the teams each ran approximately 88 plays combined for offense and defense. Concerning the immediate strengths and weaknesses of his first team in Worth County, the new Rams coach also explained, “We are very quick on the defensive side of the ball, but we need to work on our depth on both sides. We need to work on playing a lot of folks so we can stay fresh.”
While the game consisted mostly of running plays, the teams did run occasional pass plays for short gains. Tone says the offense will be based on play action, but he hopes to see the team pass when they want to, not when they have to. The team will lose their two “go-to” receivers from last year in Lavonte Robinson and Marlin Hall, but other sure hands pulled in passes last Friday afternoon at the Worth Stadium.
The Worth Middle School team also played a quick scrimmage prior to the varsity contest on Friday. According to Coach Tone, the middle school has also practiced 10 days this spring in an effort to learn the fundamentals of the new playbook under the new head coach. Tone says he hopes to establish a foundation while these players are young so that when they rise to the varsity level, the plays will be second nature for them.
With a new coach, a new region, and a new playbook established as the 2013 Worth County football season begins, Ram fans share a kindred hope and enthusiasm for the months to come. With a student of Milt Miller taking the reigns of the Rams this fall, we anticipate a return to legacies of winning and pride in the years to come.
The varsity team will play their season opening scrimmage game against Harris County in Hamilton Georgia on August 16 at 7:30 p.m. The regular season begins on August 30 against the Cook County Hornets at Milt Miller Field in Sylvester.
