Stepps Saturday Scrimmage Report

FORT WORTH- North Crowley and Fort Worth Southwest had their only pre-season scrimmage before the start of the 2009 season on Saturday and as expected North Crowley had their way with their Class 4A opponents. With a new OC and DC on staff there's still plenty of adjusting for North Crowley but with some outstanding skill talent there's plenty to be excited about. Southwest in their second season under HC Lanny Trammell has a very young offense but at times the Raiders went toe to toe with a deeper North Crowley squad.

With the number one offense on the field Southwest didn't muster much offense, but they did break one big play as RB Chris Hall scored on a 63 yard run. QB Jonathon Boone moves to that position from WR and despite being very shifty he had some trouble holding onto the ball. North Crowley's first offense also struggled getting consistent production but QB Terrelle Norwood had two long touchdown passes on screens to Roston Tatum and Levy Scott. NCHS' young offensive line often times had trouble against the experienced Southwest DL.

The Southwest second offense didn't fare well as they only managed one first down and also tossed an interception. North Crowley's second offense performed well as sophomore QB Josh Price looked very poised both running and throwing as he marched NCHS on a long scoring drive with a one yard run and he also threw a 50 yard touchdown pass to David Fox.

The two number one offenses came back out and as each team started to get a little tired the play got sloppy. Southwest did manage a score on their series with George Smith scoring on a one yard run. North Crowley's first offense really struggled as Southwest's defensive line managed three sacks. The number two offenses came back out and again the play got sloppy with neither team scoring.

After a brief special teams session the teams played one live quarter with North Crowley winning 14-0. Both Norwood and Price saw action with the number one offense with Norwood throwing a 16 yard touchdown pass to Levy Scott and Price hook up with Roston Tatum for a perfect 50 yard bomb. The Southwest offense really struggled in the live portion of the scrimmage as NCHS defensive line dominated.

North Crowley is loaded at the skill spots but they've got questions up front on both sides of the ball. Norwood appears to be a viable option at QB but the sophomore Price looked outstanding and has more upside. I expect both to see early action and if Price continues to progress he may wind being starter by the end of the season. Southwest is solid on the defensive line but they lack depth and their youth on offense is a bit of a concern.