Thursday, August 21, 1997

Bulldogs to scrimmage Stamford

By MARK WILSON / Abilene Reporter-News

STAMFORD - The monotony of intrasquad football practice is about to be broken.

In one of the first preseason scrimmages in the area, Stamford will play host to Wylie tonight as both teams finally get a taste of action against an outside entity.

Stamford, favored to repeat as District 7-2A champion, is ranked No. 9 in the state in the preseason poll conducted by Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine.

Head coach Jerry Taylor has 15 lettermen back from a 10-4 squad that won eight games in a row and reached the state quarterfinal round before dropping a heartbreaking 14-13 loss to eventual state champion Iraan.

Taylor has 16 seniors who need to provide leadership as the team works to overcome shortcomings in overall team depth and speed.

Two of those seniors lead the offense - running back Clarence Whitfield, who rushed for 1,041 yards, and quarterback Eric Alvarez, who passed for 1,180 yards.

Breckenridge is favored to unseat Wylie as District 6-3A champion, although coach Hugh Sandifer's squad won its first 11 games in a row last season and has 20 seniors and 18 lettermen on hand.

Wylie has a somewhat undersized team compared to some of its recent successful squads, but outstanding team quickness could be the answer.

Sandifer said that practice has gone fairly well, but it's time to get out of the usual preseason rut and begin to sharpen the competitive edge of both teams.

"We're no different from anybody else right now," said Sandifer, who is entering his 12th season as Wylie's head football coach. "We need to go against somebody else to put the excitement back in it.

"The pace has slowed down, due to the fact we're getting tired of hitting each other.

"We always have great scrimmages against Stamford. They always have players that are quick, and they hit. They've got a good nucleus back from that team that went a long way in the playoffs. You can always count on them playing hard and hitting you."

The scrimmage is also important for working on timing and player evaluation before the teams begin the regular season on Sept. 5.

"Offensively we're a little sluggish because of the timing involved," Sandifer said. "We're a little sluggish in the offensive line because we have four new players starting up there. We've seen a lot of bright spots defensively."

Wylie's only returning starters are fullback F. Paul Briscoe and guard Justin Scott on offense, and Scott at nose guard on defense.

Senior Grant Gregg is expected to start at quarterback for Wylie, and junior Scott Bull will also see playing time tonight.

Wylie will play host to San Angelo Lake View next Friday in another scrimmage before starting the regular season at Class 2A Hamlin.

Stamford will open its season Sept. 5 at Clyde, the District 6-3A runner-up in 1996.

The only injured player for Wylie likely to miss the scrimmage is lineman Jason Hearon, who is sidelined with a groin pull.

Wylie vs. Stamford

-- What: Preseason football scrimmage

-- Where: Bulldog Stadium, Stamford

-- When: 6:45 p.m. (freshmen and JV at 5:30 p.m.)