Clear Creek Middle School was on the football field for two weeks of spring practice.
The Bobcats wrapped up the yearly proceedings last Friday, and numbers are on the rise for this fall’s seventh- and eighth-grade teams.
Head coach Willie Dodaro and staff put 80-plus players through their paces for 10 days. Much of their time was spent learning fundamentals and assessing talent. Teaching was also a key component as there are plenty of new players with room to grow.
“I’m really happy with the participation and attendance we had. They were both really good,” Dodaro said. “We have a bunch of new kids, and they hung in there. After the first couple days of really banging (hitting), they still showed up. I kept telling them how proud I was of them.”
Of course the two squads are at different stages of their development, both physically and mentally. The older Bobcats have a year in the program and an extra year of strength training. One pleasant surprise was the influx of rising seventh graders, which Dodaro said is up to the mid-40 range.
“The upcoming seventh graders didn’t have a bunch of kids when they were in park and rec, and now we have a bunch of new kids,” he said. “So we’re trying to get everything going in the right direction with them.
“For the eighth grade, they’re going to be OK. We’ve got some depth in our linemen, which is really going to help us out. We have a real quarterback battle going on with Alex Raper and Christian Blakeley. It’s nice to have a little bit of competition. They can both play wingback, as well as backup at fullback.”
CCMS was also able to give some of its younger coaches expanded responsibilities. Offensive coordinator Taylor Johnstone missed all but two days of spring practice. He also serves as the GHS boys soccer coach, and they made a run to the Elite Eight in the state playoffs. Cole Farist took over in his absence and manned the offense.
“Farist did a really good job,” Dodaro said. “When Johnstone came out there, he was really happy with the progression we made with the seventh grade. We have a couple new editions who are going to make us good.”
The heavy emphasis of strength training that permeates all of the football in the county will be the Bobcats’ focus over the final weeks of the school year. The players will be back on the field at 7 a.m. June 2 for summer preseason practices.
“I was really happy with spring,” Dodaro said. “We had a lot of good things, and we’re looking forward to getting back and helping some of these guys with their knowledge of the game. I know all our coaches are very happy as well.”