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(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Jace Gill throws a screen pass Thursday, Aug. 21, against Godley. Gill will look to lead the Steers coming into this year. -
(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Brodie Martin runs past two defenders Thursday, Aug. 21, against Godley. Martin caught two more touchdowns for Graham in this scrimmage. -
(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Mike Garcia runs up the middle Thursday, Aug. 21, against Godley. Garcia came over from playing baseball and has made a strong impression on the team. -
(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Jordan Alexander holds the ball after picking off a pass Thursday, Aug. 21. Alexander is one of the veteran leaders of this Steers team. -
(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Drake Elliott celebrates after picking off a pass Thursday, Aug. 21. Graham continues to force big turnovers defensively.
The Graham Steers took their final step of offseason work this past week, playing a scrimmage match against the Godley Wildcats.
In the match some key playmakers started to show themselves for the Steers.
The matchup took place Thursday, Aug. 21, in Graham and there were many things to like both offensively and defensively. One of the biggest improvements over the past two weeks was in regard to outside tackling.
The team had somewhat of a hard time with that in their first scrimmage match, giving up a long touchdown run to Grandview’s quarterback while also giving up a few big plays in their backfield as a whole on sweep plays.
That was not the case against Godley as the team was run stuffing and shutting down screen passes all night long.
The team also continued to be dominant in the turnover game on that side of the ball.
Drake Elliott chased down a ball over the middle of the field for an interception which he ran back. Jordan Alexander followed this up with a pick of his own and Jot Thorne, who grabbed two interceptions in the Grandview scrimmage, finished off the night with another physical interception where he had to fight the ball away from his receiver.
Head coach Clay McChristian credits this to players being prepared and understanding where they need to be on the field.
“A big part of that is just being in the right position,” McChristian said. “We tell our guys put yourselves in the right position and good things will happen.”
On the offensive side of the ball, the team continued showing flashes of brilliance as well. Quarterback Jace Gill showed off his dual threat abilities on the night not just as a passer but also as a runner.
Gill had multiple instances of escaping the pocket and breaking off big runs to the sidelines for the Steers.
Several running backs made an impact in the Steers committee oriented backfield to add another layer to the offensive attack.
Mike Garcia continued to grind out tough chunk yards while also ripping off a couple big runs of his own.
On the night though, it was Colt Taylor who was able to break free of all defenders for a long run down the middle of the field to the endzone for a touchdown.
In the receiving game, the star on the night was Brodie Martin. Martin ended the team’s prior scrimmage on a high note catching a touchdown over the middle of the field.
The receiver added to his total by grabbing two more against Godley while also grabbing some tough contested catches. The best catch came when Martin leapt over the top of a defender down the right sideline to snag a ball and then maneuvered his way around two more defenders to pick up additional yards after the catch.
“We make some plays on some big downs,” McChristian said. “It comes down to those moments and we have to win them.”
After months of anticipation, the team will finally get their first crack at regular season action against Midland Christian on the road at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29.
