By Erik Harris
PINSON – The Pinson Valley High School football team invited two other programs to join in on a hot, Thursday, OTA (organized team activity) practice.
Springville and Walker both took the Indians’ practice field for some mid-summer competition that included not just skill players, but also the big guys on the line of scrimmage.
“This isn’t a full speed [football practice], but it’s good for ending the summer, playing other teams and getting competition going,” said Pinson Valley head coach Matt Glover. “We have two good teams here, so it really worked out good for us.”
With a mountain of 7-on-7 competition available to skill position players over the summer months, Glover saw the OTA scenario as an opportunity to get his offensive and defensive linemen involved in a competitive atmosphere.
“Here’s the deal, the O-line and D-line never get to do anything in the summer. It’s always 7-on-7 skills, so they kind of get left out, so this is a way to get them to go against somebody else besides just the skill guys getting to go compete,” said Glover. “That’s what I like about it.”
The OTA format also allowed Pinson Valley to line up and run plays out of a full formation against an 11-man opponent. In helmets and shorts, the Indians scrimmaged against Springville and Walker to end the day.
Unlike 7-on-7 play, this format put sophomore quarterback Jackie Matthews in a more game-like situation, where he faced a defensive pass rush while making his reads behind an offensive line.
“This is good because they get to play somebody else, who runs something different and see different faces across the line of scrimmage from them,” Glover said. “You get to see different offenses in full team, so it works out really well.”
As the Indians ditch the shorts and helmets for full gear, Glover wants to see a more consistent competitive spirit from his guys.
“They’re getting better, they just have to be consistent,” he said. “We always come out flat and play one game bad [before waking up]. We just have to be more consistent, so that’s the big thing with us.”
Like many other teams from across the state, Pinson Valley will now transition from summer workouts, to fall camp. Between now and the season opener against Hartselle, the coaching staff has position battles to evaluate in the secondary and on the offensive line.
“We go to Pell City tomorrow and do the same thing, and then we’re done [with summer work],” Glover said. “We’re getting out of 7-on-7 backpedaling play and into playing football.”