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Mustangs impress coach with hitting
By JAMAL THALJI, Times Staff Writer TRINITY -- When it comes to the growing pains of a second-year program, coach Scott Schmitz has been there, done that. But he's never seen a team do it as well as Mitchell has. Offseason weight room attendance skyrocketed. Spring workouts have been intense. And at Monday's spring intrasquad Black/Gold scrimmage, Schmitz saw the hardest hitting he's ever seen from his Mustangs. "You want to see hitting," Schmitz said. "We can't win if we don't hit people, and I think last year, especially on the defensive end, we weren't very aggressive and that's what we've been looking for all spring." Defense ruled Monday's scrimmage, as the Black defeated the Gold 8-0 at Mustang Stadium. Freshman quarterback Spencer Brown hit Anthony Despota with a 50-yard touchdown bomb to put the Black up 6-0. Brown ran in the 2-point conversion off the option. But to Schmitz the most important thing was that his players were going out and knocking some heads in -- even if they were on teammates' shoulders. The level of hitting is far better than last year's inaugural season, he said. "It's 100 percent better," Schmitz said. "We had some kids who would hit last year but not a majority of kids. I think with this group, we had a lot of kids who stuck their noses in it on both sides of the ball." NEED TO KNOW: Asked to compare this crew to Schmitz's second-year crew at River Ridge, where he also built a program from scratch, he said the Mustangs are ahead of the 1992 Royal Knights -- and that team went 3-7, an improvement over last year's 1-9 record. "I really believe we're further along," Schmitz said. "Both in terms of aggression and athletically, we're further along." PLAYERS TO WATCH: Schmitz was happy about the spring efforts of three stalwarts: inside linebackers Troy Hart and Derek Shortz and lineman Brandon Thomas. Hart and Shortz have firmed up positions on the defense, but Schmitz hasn't decided how to best use Thomas, who shined at defensive and offensive tackle. At 6 feet, 270 pounds, Schmitz would love to start him both ways. But the coach said it's up to Thomas this summer to work his way into the physical condition a two-way lineman will need to be in. Otherwise, Thomas might be too valuable at defensive tackle to risk wearing him out on offense. TO BE CONTINUED: Schmitz's toughest decision in the fall will be picking a starting quarterback. Senior Donnie Josephik led the Gold and showed his veteran skills and experience. But Brown, the freshman, showed athleticism the coach would like to have. "Spencer is just an outstanding athlete," Schmitz said. "But Donnie Josephik is a senior. He has a little better grasp of the offense. "I think it will be a close battle, but it's not a battle that I'm worried about, because we're going to be fine either way. Whoever wins the job is doing a good one, and the other kid will be a pretty good backup. "But the thing is, no matter who it is, they're both good athletes, and whoever isn't the quarterback will definitely be playing (at another position.)" NEXT UP: The Bulldogs will play in the six-team jamboree Wesley Chapel is holding Aug. 29 at 6:30 p.m. The matchups, limited to a half, are: Wesley Chapel vs. Springstead, Mitchell vs. Pasco and Gulf vs. River Ridge.
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