Demons host inter-squad game a week prior to opener

Smoothing over the rough edges ahead of a high school football season- opener can be comparable to having your teeth pulled.

You are never fully prepared for either one. The build up can be nerve racking and you pick up a couple of knocks along the way.

The Washington High School football team will see how ready they are for the season in an inter-squad scrimmage at Case Field, Friday, at 6:45 p.m. All fall sports teams will be honored 15 minutes prior to the scrimmage.

According to Washington High School head coach Randy Schrader, Friday is the last dress rehearsal before the games count. His offensive plays and defensive sets will be on display.

?We will not run any special teams,? Schrader said. ?It will be very controlled and scripted 10-20 offensive plays from scrimmage and 15 defensive scripted plays.?

He is keeping his cards concealed ahead of the 2013 campaign. The main focus for this scrimmage will be getting in the game mindset of preparation and game execution.

?We won?t show much.? Schrader said. ?It will be about getting on the game field and getting our gear on. Let them run around in front of a crowd a little bit and get the adrenaline pumping. It will be strictly running the play no situational football.?

He expects the scrimmage to go by relatively fast and for his players to get ready for Mid-Prairie next week.

There have been some hiccups along the way, including yesterday?s practice, which came on the heels of the first day of school.

?If last night?s practice was any indication [of our readiness] ? not very well,? he said. ?We did not have a good practice last night.?

Schrader said injuries have limited the number of snaps the first string has gotten.

?We got some players that are dinged up who are usually starters.?

Senior starting right tackle the past three years, Craig Lillie, is out with a groin injury. Starting inside linebacker Brad Skubal is nursing an ankle injury.

?At the high school level you try to fine-tune your first string.Once one cog in that wheel gets tripped up [the team struggles],? he said. ?There is a huge difference in the backup because of the lack of numbers in high school.?

Friday will serve as a tryout for defensive backs looking to break into the first team.

?Defensively we are still trying to sort out our defensive end position,? Schrader said. ?We have three or four guys battling for a spot. Thomas Bump is probably the front-runner.?