What we learned from Evansville-area high school football scrimmages in final tune-up

The dress rehearsal for the high school football season is in the books.

Scrimmages took place across Southwestern Indiana with teams using the evening to smooth out the edges and, hopefully, remain healthy. The latter is probably the biggest takeaway on the minds of every coach with Week 1 looming come Friday night.

How did some of the top teams look? Here are takeaways from Reitz, Mater Dei, Castle and Memorial.

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Reitz offered several positives in West Side scrimmage

One of the area’s best defenses from the last couple of seasons already played up to par. There were tackles made in the backfield as well as a pass breakup near the end zone. Senior quarterback Ben Davies threw touchdown passes on back-to-back plays and was laughing it up with his teammates, both on the field and the sideline.

The Panthers are ready to return to the Bowl next week for regular season action against Harrison.

“Both sides, offensively and defensively, Reitz and Mater Dei, we’re keeping it very basic,” Reitz coach Cory Brunson said. “Both groups out here are just trying to play somebody else, play hard and compete, get ready for next week and stay healthy.”

One thing Brunson enjoyed seeing was how Davies mainly stayed in the pocket and had time to throw. The ground game looked explosive and broke off some touchdown runs. Reitz’s depth on defense also showed as players constantly flew around.

“I was definitely pleased on our effort,” Brunson said. “We’ve got ways to go, but (I was) pleased with how we practiced and played tonight.”

The takeaway from Mater Dei? 'We can learn from it'

The Wildcats were disappointed in how they performed and felt like they could have done things better. There were dropped passes and not enough pass protection. Mater Dei also knew it lacked urgency and the fire it takes to be competitive. As Reitz’s defense buzzed, the Wildcats felt like they were flying past them.

“The great thing is we can learn from it,” Mater Dei coach Mike Goebel said. “The players have been working very hard all year. We know we have some big shoes to fill and some positions to determine, but we expected more of an effort than we got tonight. Hopefully, we can remedy that by next week.”

More: Mater Dei football is looking forward after struggles last year: 'They want to do better'

Juniors Tate Mallory and Nolan Schickel provided one of the scrimmage’s biggest plays. Mallory chucked it down the sideline as Schickel stayed in bounds while draped by Reitz defenders. The Wildcats scored a touchdown not long after.

Mater Dei knows it has much to clean up when traveling to Central for its opener. One of the biggest improvements the Wildcats would like to see is from its receiving core.

“We know Central’s got some athletes, and what do they’ve got to lose?” Goebel said. “They’re coming back with a whole lot of starters, a lot more than us. They’re going to be ready to go. We’ve got our hands full, that’s no question.”

The positives for Memorial? Dylen Kendrick and the defense

The scrimmage is mostly vanilla by design. Stay healthy and get players on film against someone other than themselves. Yet one player, among others, stood out for Memorial: Dylen Kendrick.

The junior running back can elevate the offense. Exhibit A: the 35-yard run in the first session, making a defender miss at the second and third levels. It's a continuation of what Memorial saw in the postseason a year ago when Kendrick emerged with 100-yard games against Reitz and East Central. Is he ready to be the featured back?

"He better be," said Memorial coach John Hurley. "Dylen can be special. He can be elusive. He hit the hole and did what he’s supposed to do. The line got to who they needed to get to."

The other positive for the Tigers was the play on defense. Castle only registered one first down in the opening script and allowed three sacks. With multiple players in different spots, Memorial had internal questions coming into the season. Hurley singled out the play on the line as a positive step forward.

"I felt like our guys were competing and on the same page," said Hurley. "Guys stepping in and making plays. Everybody is healthy. I don’t know if you could ask for more than that."

Castle showed its potential as the scrimmage progressed

Castle coach Doug Hurt stated the obvious. There were both good and bad from the final dress rehearsal.

The opening series produced a single first down. The offensive line, even when defenders were not allowed to hit the quarterback, allowed too much pressure. The Knights still got better the longer the scrimmage went. They scored twice on the goal line; their defense stuffed Memorial in that series. The identity of this Castle team is taking form: run-dominant with an athletic defensive front seven .

"Our defensive line is better than it’s been in a while," said Hurt. "We’re more athletic and faster. Can we stop the run? That’s the question. I would think our pass rush will be better than it’s been the past few years."

How much offensive balance is to be determined. Max McCool, a 1,000-yard rusher last year, should and will get the ball even with heavy game plans from opponents. It would benefit Castle to find an outside threat and for the line to give Boden Morgan or Mitchell Lene time under center.

Again, things to find out now with a trip to North next week.

"How much balance we can have is definitely up to the skill guys," said Hurt. "You try to get out of this one healthy and not lose anybody for game one. That’s the biggest win. You want to clean up mistakes because game one is looming quickly."

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: What we learned from Evansville-area high school football scrimmages in final tune-up