ODESSA HIGH SHOWS IMPROVEMENT IN SCRIMMAGE AGAINST EL PASO MONTWOOD

Eventually, the storm rolled its way past, the pouring rain started to ease, the clouds parted, and a colorful far West Texas sunset lit the mountains behind Eagle Stadium in Van Horn. Then Trey Smith danced his way to a 30-yard run, Josh Lara scooted around end for nine yards to the 1, before Smith punched it in to cap a three-play touchdown drive. What a beautiful sight for Bronchos’ eyes. That explosive start on offense highlighted Odessa High's scrimmage with El Paso Montwood on Friday night, which finally got underway for the varsity squads later than scheduled after inclement weather blew through Van Horn and sent the teams into a delay. Just as skies cleared, and the varsity took to the field for a controlled portion to start the workout, Smith, the Bronchos' junior quarterback, ripped off 30 yards on a read keeper on the first play from scrimmage. Lara's run then set up Smith's score — which set the tone for a feel-good outing for the Bronchos going into their season opener at Lubbock Monterey on Thursday. Friday, the Bronchos said, things felt different from last year. "Way different," Smith said. That solid start rolled on for Odessa High when the first-team defense took to the field a few sequences later. Starting from the 40 like Odessa High, Montwood quarterback Andrew Fernandez ran for seven yards and then 24 on a keeper to get the Rams into first and goal at the 9 — but that's when the Odessa High defense bowed up, forcing an incompletion, a run for one, another incompletion, then a big sack on Fernandez on fourth down to end that series. "Off the first look, I think we were 10 times better than we were last year, in terms of intensity, discipline, knowing what we're doing, being in the right spots," Smith said. "I think we progressed. We progressed a lot from last year." Odessa High head coach Danny Servance saw the same. "We got off to a fast start, and that's something that we didn't do last year," Servance said, on the wet turf just after speaking with his team at the conclusion of the scrimmage. "We got off to a fast start. Everything was positive that first drive. Our kids did a great job of executing and I couldn't be more proud of it."' Servance had just talked to his team about those early successes — but also about finishing. In the six-minute live portion of the scrimmage to finish the night, Montwood got the better of Odessa High, with Fernandez completing a 70-yard touchdown pass behind the defense on the first play of the live portion, putting the Bronchos off track from the start of that sequence. Fernandez went on to complete another touchdown in that portion, this time from 20 yards out to Tyreese Andrus. Servance saw mistakes from his team there — but he saw correctable mistakes. "There were some things that we've harped on when we've made mistakes in practice and I don't know if they really understood that we weren't getting on them just to get on them. We were getting on them because this is what you're going to see in the ballgame," Servance said with a laugh. "It's hard to emulate in that in practice against scout team guys. "You can kind of get away with not getting back to the deep third in practice against scout team guys — but when you get in the game and you've got a receiver like they've got, that can run a 4.5, now you can see why we're harping on, 'You've got to stay deep in your third.'" And that, Servance agreed, is the whole point of Friday's scrimmage, to see that before the season opener. "That's the point of a scrimmage, it really is — for you to see in live, actual time, what the speed is like that you're getting ready to play against," he said. Senior defensive end Joseph Chavez said those mistakes would get corrected. "It's one of those where you can pinch it right there and make sure you stop it," Chavez said. Sophomore running back Senjun McGarity also scored a touchdown run when second teams were on the field in the earlier controlled portion. "What I was telling them, there was not anything big, glaring, that we need to get fixed. They're all little bitty things," Servance said. "But we know that a lot of small things make big things. We've got to pay attention to detail. "If we can do that, then, man, I'm ecstatic." Certainly, a different feeling from last season. "It's the little things," Smith said. "Last year it was the big things. Now it's just the little things we need to work on, improve. "We can't regress. We'll keep getting better, better and better throughout the weeks — and try to go get that first win."

ODESSA HIGH SHOWS IMPROVEMENT IN SCRIMMAGE AGAINST EL PASO MONTWOOD

Photo Credit: Justin Lee

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