After carrying on the annual traditions of the Red/White and Alumni games this weekend, the sprint football team is gearing up for its regular season opener this Saturday at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. With lofty expectations for the season, getting up to game speed during practice and in scrimmages has been vital for the Red with Saturday’s date with the Mountaineers looming.

The Red held its inter-squad scrimmage on Thursday night, splitting the team into two separate sides and playing each other. The Red/White game is the perfect opportunity for the team to face real in-game situations and try out new plays and formations in order to work out the kinks before the regular season schedule commences. 

“It’s a good way to get closer to game speed,” said senior defensive lineman Kevin Schmidt. “It’s a good way to shake things up from the regular routine of practice and to have something more to play for. We also inevitably lose and gain players year to year, so it’s a good way to see how the new guys look and how the team gels together in game situations.”

After watching film from the game, the Red acknowledges that there are some things it did well and some things that the team needs to improve on.

 “The offense looked pretty good, [sophomore receiver] Spenser Grunenfelder had an especially good game,” Schmidt said. “The defense on the other hand looked sloppy. The effort was there but there were a lot of missed assignments. Luckily we’ve learned a lot from the film and they’re easily correctable mistakes.”

While the Red/White game was a higher-paced affair meant to get the team into a high gear, the Alumni game proved to be a more relaxed atmosphere, as it’s more of a social gathering of sprint football players and families from over the years.

“It’s a fun experience; you get to play against guys who were your teammates the last couple of years, while at the same time you’re playing guys in their 60s who aren’t wearing facemasks,” Schmidt said.

Looking ahead to the weekend, the Red has faired well against the Mountaineers since the program’s inception two years ago, sweeping all four games the two teams have played dating back to 2008. Still, the Red knows that the Mountaineers are an unpredictable team, capable of any type of performance.

“Mansfield changes their offensive approach pretty frequently.” Schmidt said. “Last year their strategy was completely different from the first time we played them to the second time. Because they’re a relatively new program they get a lot of new kids every year and kind of cater their game plans to the strengths of their personnel. On the defensive side we really need to be ready for anything.”