Apaches visit Blanco for first action against another opponent

After two weeks of facing each other, the Gonzales football team will get to face someone else.

The Apaches will participate in their first of two preseason scrimmages Saturday morning when they travel to Blanco to spar with the Panthers. The scrimmage will start at 11.

“Blanco will be a good test,” Gonzales coach Ricky Lock said. “They’re a traditional Wing-T team who runs a lot of sweep, trap, bootleg and isolation plays. But they also have a quarterback who can throw.”

Blanco is a perennial Class 2A powerhouse with several state semifinal appearances and a state championship over the last decade. The Panthers are predicted to finish second in District 13-2A-Division I — the same finish they had a year ago.

Lock believes his players will get a lot out of the Blanco scrimmage not only because they will compete against another team, but also because they will see the Wing-T on three occasions this season. Columbus, La Vernia and Poteet all run the Wing-T.

Defensively, the Panthers operate out a 4-3 cover-4. The 4-3 cover-4 is similar to what the University of Miami operated its defense out of at one time.

“Blanco prides itself in keeping seven guys in the box at all times,” Lock said. “They dare you to throw the football.”

Lock plans to throw the football Saturday.

“We’re going to see how well Blanco’s secondary can tackle,” Lock said. “We’re going to keep running the plays we’ve been running, but we’re also going to add some new things.”

In last week’s Orange-Black intrasquad scrimmage, Gonzales’ first-team offense scored eight touchdowns — six on the ground. The Apaches’ first-team defense also shined as they surrendered just one first down and allowed just four plays to go for positive yards.

While Lock thinks his players had plenty to evaluate from the Orange-Black scrimmage, he thinks the Blanco scrimmage will provide a better evaluation.

“It’s easier to evaluate yourself when you play against someone else,” Lock said. “You get to see how you fare against actual competition.”

After Saturday’s scrimmage, Gonzales will have one more preseason dress rehearsal when it travels to Austin to scrimmage St. Michael’s at 7 p.m. Aug. 18. The Apaches open the season Aug. 26 at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi where they will face Miller.