VALDOSTA — Valdosta High’s spring football season comes to an end tonight with the annual spring game.
The spring game will start at 7 p.m. at Cleveland Field. The players will begin warming up around 6:30 p.m. Admission is $2 for the general public.
Valdosta head coach Rick Tomberlin, coaching in his first spring game at VHS, says the game will be more of a glorified practice than an actual game.
“We’re not going to have a true game, because we’re not ready to do that just yet,” Tomberlin said. “I think that eventually we’ll do (the spring game) like Valdosta did it in the old days, where it’s more of a true game, with the No. 1 offense going against the No. 2 defense, and No. 1 defense going against the No. 2 offense. Right now, though, we’ve got a brand new offense, a brand new defense, new coaches, a lot of new faces. So I think the best thing for our football team is not to rush in and try to play a football game, but to take it real slow, and try to learn the basics.”
The spring game will begin with players going through the Oklahoma drill, a high-intensity, hard-hitting drill. Then the freshman team will take the field, followed by the No. 1 offense facing the “best of the rest” defense. Then the junior varsity (“the young guns,” as Tomberlin calls them) will play. Then the No. 1 defense will face the reserves on offense. There will be no special teams played.
A lot of players will play both offense and defense tonight. Valdosta has been playing a lot of players both ways this spring.
Though he doesn’t feel ready to turn his players loose in a game, Tomberlin is still pleased with much of what he’s seen from his team so far.
“We’ve had nine real intense, physical days,” Tomberlin said. “We’ve improved vastly every day. I like their attitudes. There are three things they’ll do: They’ll work, they’ll hit, and they’ll run. Our execution isn’t great right now, but we’re getting better.”
n
There have been some changes in Valdosta’s varsity coaching staff. Former offensive coordinator Welton Coffey has left to take the same position at Camden County, while former defensive coordinator Jeff Rolson is now the head coach at Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola.
The new defensive coordinator is Jeff Arnette, a former head coach at Oconee County and Elbert County. The new offensive coordinator is Michael Pollack, a former Tomberlin assistant at Washington County and the head coach at Cook from 2001-2002.
Tomberlin will coach the quarterbacks. Pollack will coach running backs. Longtime Valdosta assistant Tim Horton will coach receivers, as well as being in charge of equipment and video. Ashley Henderson will remain the offensive line coach, focusing primarily on centers and guards. New assistant John Thompson, hired away from Gainesville High, will coach tackles, tight ends and the kicking game.
On defense, Arnette will coach linebackers. Longtime Valdosta assistant Al Akins will coach defensive ends, while former Valdosta player Rick Thomas will coach defensive tackles. Keith Middleton, another longtime assistant, will return to coaching the secondary, primarily the cornerbacks, and Keith McConnehead will coach the safeties. Thomas and McConnehead have coached at the lower levels for several seasons.
“I’ve been real pleased with the coaching staff. They’ve taken a difficult situation and worked on it,” Tomberlin said.
Local Sports
Wildcats’ spring game today
Tomberlin closes out first spring as Valdosta’s coach
- Local Sports
-
-
The losing continues
Tommy Hanson says the Braves aren’t in panicking after their longest losing streak in two years reached eight games.
-
Gulf South approves invitation to Lee University
The Gulf South Conference’s search for additional members bore fruit when GSC Commissioner Nate Salant announced the GSC Executive Committee’s unanimous approval of an invitation to Lee University to apply for membership.
The approval comes on the heels of a recommendation from the GSC Expansion Committee, which visited Lee University’s campus last week -
Dario Franchitti wins Indy again
Dan Wheldon couldn’t win his third Indianapolis 500. Dario Franchitti did it for him.
And if it wasn’t going to be Franchitti, then it would be Scott Dixon. Maybe even Tony Kanaan.
No matter what, one of Wheldon’s best buddies was going to Victory Lane. -
VSU teams hosting summer camps
The national champion Valdosta State softball team will host two separate summer camps this summer, as well as weekly clinics throughout the summer.
The two summer camps will be held on June 11-13 and July 9-11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The camps will cost $100 each. -
David Dean Youth Camp begins next week
The David Dean Youth Football Camp is quickly approaching.
The fourth annual camp will be held May 29-June 1 at the Athletic Fieldhouse off Mary Street. -
National champion head coach rewarded with new truck
National champion head coach rewarded with new truck Valdosta State head softball coach Thomas Macera was rewarded with a new Toyota Tacoma from Valdosta Toyota on Wednesday for his team’s 4-1 victory over the University of California-San Diego in the Division II Softball National Championship Game.
-
Valwood’s Savino, Elliott named All-State soccer
Two Valwood boys’ soccer players have been named to the GISA Class AA All-State team.
-
All-American again
Go ahead and add another award to resume of this year’s Valdosta State softball team.
Between conference player of the week awards, a national player of the week award, All-Conference and All-Region honors and four All-American awards, the national champion Blazers had plenty of individuals honored for performances throughout the season, which ultimately led to VSU’s first ever softball national title. -
Local area events coming soon
Several local area runs will take place in the coming weeks.
Monday, May 28, there will be a Memorial Day 5K, which will begin at 8 a.m. from the VECA School located on the corner of Azalea Drive and College Street. -
Tech bound
Donjahae Jones gets it done in the classroom and on the track.
One of the top students in her class, and one of the top track and field competitors in the state, Jones will be taking her talents to the Division I level after she signed a track and field scholarship with Georgia Tech on Tuesday. - More Local Sports Headlines
-
