SPANISH FORT, Alabama — The Toros held an intra-squad scrimmage last week on The Hill with the offense outscoring the defense 45-22 after a condensed, but quality spring training period. With several returning football starters still playing baseball for the now three-time defending state champions, as well as the Lady Toros softball team advancing to the state tournament, the off-season work was abbreviated.

Spanish Fort head football coach and athletic director Mark Freeman said the scheduled appearance in the jamboree at Foley was also canceled so that as many students and athletes who wanted, could make the trip to Montgomery for the softball and baseball finals.

“It cut a few days off our schedule, but a chance for a state championship, a third in a row— that’s something worth working around,” he added. “And our girls getting up there. So we are going to support them, pull for both of them—the girls and boys. Then starting in June we’re going to get ready for football.

“But we accomplished some important things with these young kids the last couple of weeks and the way they and the older ones who don’t play baseball worked together. And I’m proud of all of them, but I really have been impressed by these young ones. They came out and executed well, played hard and I’m just proud of how far they came in just eight days of practice.”

Freeman was pleased with the way his team layed in the scrimmage despite the schedule change and with a few different players in key positions.

“But as far as execution, we looked good in both phases, our kicking game with (Alexander) Theodore (incoming junior) is looking great. I think A.T. has got to be one of the best kickers in the state and we are so glad to have him. We are going to need him.

“Both our young quarterbacks looked good (Tyler Johnston and Trevor Jennings had good series. You’d never know they were eighth-grader and ninth-grader out there the way they can play. But Joel (Poe) will be back after baseball as our starter. If we were that deep at every position we’d be in great shape. D. (Deon Johnson, wide-out, slot back) looked great, but we know what D.J. can do, so we let him have a few snaps, catch a few, I think he scored a couple. He’s back and that speed will be important to us this fall and we want him healthy through the season.

“Defensively, we got after it. The whole game — games like this — are set up to give the offense some advantage because I wanted to make the defense work. They did better early, then the offense kept the pressure and the pace up. But overall, I think we did well considering that we lost some really good players on that side, so we have some holes to fill. But I liked the aggressiveness I saw and overall the effort was outstanding by all.”

The Toros kick off the regular season for the first time in history against neighboring 6A Daphne.