Confidence reigns supreme for Nevada football

By Eric Wade

Daily Mail Sports Editor

The 2013 high school football season in Nevada has been unofficially under way for two weeks already, but the Tigers still haven't taken the field in actual game competition just yet. With a scrimmage at Logan Field and the Carl Junction Jamboree under their belts, the Tigers do have a significant measure of on-field experience, but even a scrimmage against other schools can't really duplicate a real game.

The Night Under the Lights scrimmage at Logan Field certainly didn't do that, but it did give fans a look at a little bit what the Tigers will bring to the table this year.

"We ran a lot of our basic package tonight," first-year Tigers head coach Erik Yoakam said. "I opened it up a little bit and we ran our bread and butter Veer."

The Tigers showed a number of different looks from short passes over the middle of the field to even showing hints of a deep threat down the sidelines, on top of the running game Nevada football fans have become accustomed to seeing in recent years. With that new-found wealth of options, the projected starting offense had little trouble moving the ball down the field nearly at will.

"You know, offensively, we're going to take what the defense gives us," Yoakam said. "If we need to throw the ball a little bit, I'm confident in what Alex can do. If we need to slam it in there, we've got three or four good running backs that can, you know, get to the edge or run it right at them."

That strong showing on the offensive side of the ball was just one of a number of things Yoakam said he liked about his team's effort in the squad's first action in front of the home fans.

"I saw some good speed there on the edge, some good reads with the first offense, some good intensity from the defense," he said. "Just good effort from the starters."

Yoakam said this year's roster features somewhere between 85 and 90 players -- 18 seniors -- who have taken very well to his new offensive scheme. He said his players have all shown great enjoyment in running the Veer offense, which opens up the possibilities for big plays and lends itself to a better variety of plays than some of the other offensive schemes the Tigers have used in the past.

Things weren't all good for the Tigers on Saturday, however, as fundamental errors and "the little things," as Yoakam called them, proved to be something that still needed a bit of work.

"That first action with people around, sometimes kids forget what they're doing," Yoakam said. "Just the confidence level and that will gain from week to week."

Despite those minor issues, however, confidence is still high throughout the Tigers' camp. Given the fact that his players are taking so well to everything Yoakam and his staff have introduced this year, his hopes and expectations for what fans will see from the Tigers this year are still very high.

"They're going to see hard work," Yoakam said of what fans can expect in the coming season. "They're going to see the kids giving it everything they've got on every snap.

"Our motto this year and every year from now on is DEA, which is discipline, effort and attitude. And you're going to see those three things from the team."

Effort was certainly not lacking when the Tigers took to the road for the Carl Junction Jamboree last Friday. Things once again went well for the Tigers as they were able to do a lot of things that gave Yoakam yet another reason to be confident in his squad's abilities.

The Tigers' first unit put two touchdowns on the board against Carthage and Carl Junction, while the defense surrendered two touchdowns to the Bulldogs and one to Carthage. Junior varsity players were primarily used against Monett and first-year Tigers head coach Erik Yoakam was pleased with the performances of his players.

Yoakam is not overly concerned about the touchdowns the Tigers allowed because things were kept very basic on the defensive side of the ball.

Despite any shortfalls that may have come this preseason, expectations from Yoakam and his staff of the Tigers football squad are very high. When asked to elaborate on his expectations of his team for the season, Yoakam's response was simple.

"Always high," he said. "State Championship."

The Tigers won't have to wait long to put those expectations into practice as the season is set to open Friday night, at Holden. Holden is one of three teams that beat Nevada last year, but confidence is still high in the Tigers' camp heading into the contest.

Yoakam said he expects Holden to play power football on the offensive side of the ball, running a number of different formations designed to create confusion and keep the defense off balance, but sticking mostly to the running game. On defense, Holden has shown a propensity for using a five-man front and stacking the box in an effort to bring pressure from all sides.

Because of those factors, the major focus in the final week of practices leading up to the season opener has simply been on doing the little things correctly. Blocking, catching and tackling well are among the things that have received the most emphasis this week.

There are a few injuries that could be cause for concern for the Tigers in the opener, most notably, starting offensive tackle Caleb Smith. Cole Sanderson has been battling an injury of his own, but is healthy and should be able to play at 100 percent, Yoakam said.

The first home football game for the Tigers is scheduled for Sept. 20, against Pleasant Hill, and will be one of four home games on the schedule this year. The other three home games are scheduled for Oct. 4, against Kansas City Northeast; Oct. 11, against Springfield Central; and Oct. 18, against McDonald County.