HAWKS TURN UP THE INTENSITY IN SCRIMMAGE WITH MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Huntingdon defensive back Keith Anthony and running back Trevor Manuel summed up the feelings of many of their teammates after Friday's scrimmage with Mississippi College.

There was no score to determine a winner or a loser on Friday, but Anthony and Manuel like the direction their team is headed in after nine days of practice.

"This is probably the most enthusiastic team I have been a part of in my four years here," said Anthony, a senior from Eclectic. "We're working hard, we love the game and we love this team. I like the way we're looking right now."

Manuel, a junior from Monroeville, said the Hawks finished strong in the scrimmage. He said the team is trying not to waste any opportunities to get better.

"Since I've been at Huntingdon, this is the team I've felt the most confident in," Manuel said. "We all want the same things and we're all buying into the same goals. We all want to be a better team than we were last year and we're trying to get better each day."

Head coach Mike Turk said he saw tremendous improvement from the Hawks' first scrimmage earlier this week.

"We played pretty well on both sides of the ball today," Turk said. "The offense moved the ball and our tempo was better. We executed better and I thought we protected the passer very well today, which was a big improvement from earlier in the week.  

"Defensively, we had a pretty solid performance. They scored early but I thought we picked up our intensity until the final possession when they scored again. Once we settled in, I thought we reacted well and played well."

The early stages of the scrimmage focused on group drills for about an hour before the teams squared off for 11-on-11 work.

"I'm sure when we watch film there will be a lot of things that need correcting, but I was proud of the way we performed," Turk said. "It was obvious we were a little nervous about facing someone different. That's one of the reasons you do this, so that you're more comfortable the next time you see a team wearing a different color."

The Hawks have Saturday off from practice before returning to the field at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. There will be a newcomers scrimmage on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. for the players that didn't participate Friday.