By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
Missouri Southern marked the midway point of spring football — practice No. 8 — with a scrimmage on Wednesday afternoon.
“It went great,” head coach Bart Tatum said. “The best thing about a scrimmage is when people don’t get injured. I’m not sure we had one injury today in 90 snaps. That’s the best scrimmage to me.”
During the controlled scrimmage, the offense started first from its end of the field, then the ball was placed 20 yards from the goal line.
“The defense was sluggish to start,” Tatum said. “We had some success on offense, but as we went on into the scrimmage is where the defense came on, flew around and made big plays. There were some highlights on offense, but I thought both sides showed some signs of life.
“Adam Hinspeter has had a good spring as you would expect from the school’s all-time leading passer, a fifth-year senior and four-year starter. He’s been consistent. Jordan Patton at cornerback, a returning second team all-conference player, has been playing well. Antwan Dyer, a returning linebacker, has had an excellent spring.
“A newcomer, Brandon Williams, shows signs he can be a good player. He’s rough right now, but within a year or two, he could develop into a nice defensive tackle.”
Williams, 6-foot-3, 315-pounder from Kirkwood, Mo, is part of the Lions’ 2008 recruiting class. He played at Rockwood Summit High School in St. Louis, earning all-conference and all-state honors, then transferred to Harmony Prep School in Cincinnati in 2007. He enrolled at MSSU at the start of the second semester.
Tatum, preparing for his third season as the Lions’ head coach, sees improvement in the Lions after eight practices the last two weeks.
“There’s no doubt in my mind we’re better,” he said, “but as you know, the MIAA is better. With the addition of a perennial top-10 team in Nebraska-Omaha and the subtraction of the worst team in the league in Southwest Baptist, you’d better get a lot better. You hope you’re a lot better.
“We were right in the middle of the pack (in 2007), our first winning record (6-5) in nine years. That’s a nice hump to get over, but it just doesn’t get any easier.”
Spring workouts provide opportunities for players to catch the coaching staff’s attention, and it gives the coaches the chance for constant evaluation.
“We’ve graded every player on the offensive side of the ball every day, and that constant evaluation will continue,” Tatum said.
“We have probably 70-80 percent of what we plan to look at on offense inserted. We still have new material to insert, and the defense still has a few things they want to look at in their package that is not inserted. We’ve worked on phases of the kicking game in all eight practices, and the remaining seven practices won’t be any different.”
With spring break next week, the Lions won’t practice again until Monday, March 24. Workouts conclude on Saturday, April 5, with the annual Green and Gold game at 10:30 a.m.
Sports
March 12, 2008
Lions' best football workout? One without injuries
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Outlaws open season Thursday on the road
Chris Oldner takes a cut during the Joplin Outlaws practice Tuesday afternoon. The Outlaws open their season on Thursday night at Rossville and play seven road games before their home opener on June 5.
The Joplin Outlaws and new coach Rob Vessell have set some lofty goals for the 2012 baseball season.
Continued ... - Stanton’s homers fuel Marlins’ surge in May
- Five sign to join Missouri Southern women's track team
- Whisner ignites Joplin Miners past Webb City
- Venus Williams joins Serena on sideline in Paris
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- Pittsburg State Sports
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- Vengels sixth in heptathlon; PSU picks up two seventh-place finishes
- Ethan Cordray signs with Pittsburg State
- Lions, Gorillas begin competition in outdoor track and field championship
- Three finalists named for PSU head baseball coach position
- Lions qualify 10, PSU 15 for Division II outdoor track meet
- Missouri Southern Sports
- High School Sports
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Area athletes turn shine at state meet
Webb City's Jarvis Jones takes sixth in the 200.
- Cleo Elbert steps down at Thomas Jefferson
- Frontenac wins first state baseball title
- Joplin's Jeremy Lynn takes fifth at state tennis
- Frontenac advances at state baseball
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