The Avery Vikings hit the field for the first time this afternoon as they square off with four squads in a friendly full-contact scrimmage here at MacDonald Stadium. Mitchell and Happy Valley (TN) tangled on one end of the turf, while West Lincoln and West Caldwell butted heads. We're getting ready for Round Two as the Vikings will begin with the West Caldwell Warriors. Our first look at the full team of 11 on the field as both teams will play two halves of 10 scoreboard clock running minutes of offense with a 2-minute break between halves.We'll have updates throughout the scrimmage.
7:00 PM Avery's defense allowed a couple of scores on its first defensive series, but made a couple of sterling defensive plays. The Vikings scored once in its 10-minute offensive set, but the touchdown came on the final play of the set. Avery will next take on Happy Valley out of Elizabethton, TN
7:30 PM Avery took on the Happy Valley club in their second session. Happy Valley moved the ball effectively and scored a pair of touchdowns during the series. Avery did not manage to score in its offensive series but managed to move the ball effectively. Pass protection will be key, as Happy Valley consistently pressured sophomore QB Alex Villanueva.
Avery next takes on neighboring Mitchell in two 10-minute scrimmages.
7:55 PM - Avery took the offense first against the Mountaineers and scored a touchdown during its 10 minutes on the field. The Mitchell offense kept the ball exclusively on the ground with its shotgun attack. Avery however was able to keep the Mountaineers out of the end zone. Avery's final scheduled opponent for the scrimmage is the squad from West Lincoln.
8:25 PM - Avery finished its scheduled scrimmage sessions with West Lincoln High School. Avery took the football for the first half of the session and ran 15 plays in the time allotted, but were unable to scratch across the goal line for a score. West Lincoln in its offensive half drove for a pair of touchdowns during the series.The Vikings junior varsity players came on following the final series to scrimmage with the JV club from West Lincoln. The JVs currently boast a depleted roster but are hungry and talented. Avery's varsity will next take the field on Friday afternoon at Cloudland High School in Roan Mountain, TN for the team's final full-team scrimmage competition before it travels a week later to Robbinsville to take on the Black Knights. Fans unable to make the drive to Graham County can tune in to WECR AM 1130 on Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m. for the tape delayed re-broadcast of Friday night's action. That's it from the press box at MacDonald Stadium. Thanks for reading!
