HEATH ― As Licking County’s football all-stars took to the turf at Heath’s Swank Field on a muggy June 8 evening for their first practice, a couple of things were notable.
As they try to end a four-game losing streak to Muskingum Valley in their 44th annual game, they have an abundance of size and talent. Muskingum leads the series 23-19 in one of the state’s longest-running all-star games, after it was tied.
And for the first time in recent memory, they are practicing just this week instead of the usual two weeks as they get ready for the June 12 7 p.m. showdown in Zanesville High School’s John D. Sulsberger Memorial Stadium.
Heath coach Tim Ward, who led Licking to its last victory in the series in 2021, is confident his team will adjust to the compressed timeline and be ready come kickoff. They are practicing three evenings through June 10 and will do a June 11 walk-through.
“Actually, we also had two days with our quarterbacks and receivers last week,” said Ward, who is being assisted by his staff and also a few Newark coaches. “We’ve found that it’s harder to get guys to commit for two weeks. So we’ve simplified things enough that they should be able to understand it. We have a lot of guys from teams that expect to win, and most of them are in good shape.”
Eight players from Licking Valley are on the roster, six are from Johnstown and five more from Heath.
The all-stars suffered a blow when Newark quarterback Bodie Smith, headed to Wheeling University, injured a knee in a regional semifinal win for the baseball team. But Watkins Memorial’s Drew Samsal and Lakewood’s Garrett Hardway will be ready to take snaps behind center.
“The first two days (last week) were kind of rough, but we’re getting the hang of it now,” Samsal said. “We’re still knocking off the rust, but I think a week is long enough.”
Lakewood’s Jalen White is part of a receiving corps that will give the quarterbacks plenty of good targets. He doesn’t think the shortened practice time will hurt.
“A lot of the guys already know each other from growing up together,” he said. “We’re picking it up pretty well and just need to shake off the dust.”
The linemen are already bonding, said Utica’s 360-pound nose guard, Donovan Holley.
“The offensive and defensive lines are communicating really well,” he said. “It’s almost like we’ve played together all year.”
Northridge’s Landon Thompson will be a key part of the offensive line in the game and is not concerned about having fewer practices.
“It’s a small playbook, which should make it easier to learn,” he said. “The defensive line is already giving us great looks in practice. We’ll be ready.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking County all-stars simplify approach against Muskingum Valley
Reporting by Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate | USA TODAY Network
