North Callaway football expects to be younger at several positions this upcoming season.
Mexico, North Callaway at California 7-on-7 Photo Gallery
That’s why it was good to see the …
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North Callaway football expects to be younger at several positions this upcoming season.
Mexico, North Callaway at California 7-on-7 Photo Gallery
That’s why it was good to see the team in action even in a limited capacity, head coach Kevin O’Neal said. The Thunderbirds participated in seven-on-seven drills in California along with Mexico, Eldon and California.
“It’s an opportunity to come out and see what we got,” O’Neal said. “We’ve got kids that are stepping into a varsity role that haven’t been there before. We’ve got kids that we’ve got to develop, and we’ve got a couple guys that are coming back — knocking the rust off for those guys too.”
One position that North Callaway is trying to figure out early is quarterback as O’Neal’s son, Braydn, graduated and will play baseball at Columbia College. Braydn O’Neal was a dual-threat passer that earned multiple all-conference nods as a multi-year starter under center for the Thunderbirds.
The seven-on-seven session served as a good opportunity to look at potential replacements, Kevin O’Neal said, as the rules involved teams to use exclusively passing plays without the threat of a pass rush. It is too early in the year and helmets and pads aren’t allowed yet so contact was kept to a minimum.
“It was an opportunity to get four different guys a look at quarterback,” O’Neal said. “All of those guys got better as the day went on.”
Summer practices don’t begin until this month so O’Neal said North Callaway being able to not only run plays but also against other defensive units can be turned into a valuable resource for later.
“This gives us an opportunity to get some stuff on film and show them what our expectations are, when they’re making mistakes, and where they should be,” O’Neal said. “You’re looking for guys that guys that come out and compete, guys that hustle even if they don’t know what they’re doing, and those types of things.”
O’Neal said it is possible that the Thunderbirds will look for more seven-on-seven sessions in the future, but California’s should give them a good base for the future.
“We’ll teach the stuff as the year goes on, but this gives us an opportunity to see what skill we have,” O’Neal said. “You’ve got to start somewhere. It gives our guys a first taste of a little bit of competition.”
