Weber State football ends fall camp; captains named, scrimmage gets youth reps
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- Weber State kicker Sloan Calder (69) boots a field goal with teammates gathered around to end a scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber State defensive back Tre Parks-Vinson (29) leaps for an interception as Treyshun Hurry (18) looks on in a scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber State receiver Haze Hadley (5) runs with the football Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber State quarterback Tiger Adolpho’s helmet flies off during a tackle in a scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber State running back Adrian Cormier (35) fights through a shirt hold during a scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber State’s Jacob Sharp (14) hauls in a touchdown pass as Ishaan Daniels (31) defends during a scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber State head football coach Mickey Mental watches his team scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
WASHINGTON TERRACE — An off-campus night scrimmage was part strategy and part necessity as Weber State football brought fall camp to a close.
Finish work on the new turf at Stewart Stadium is wrapping up ahead of the team’s Aug. 31 season opener, but a scrimmage tour around local high schools might be more frequent come the spring.
Through dark clouds and a small dousing of rain, most of the Wildcats set to start watched as backups gained experienced and jostled for position on the depth chart Saturday night at Bonneville High School.
Head coach Mickey Mental was all smiles afterward.
“Awesome. We’re healthy. We got a bunch of young kids reps today that they’ll grow from and that’s the point of this,” he said. “Get them experience by hitting, running fast and speeding up the game. You don’t put them out there, they can’t grow. … Guys came out with the right mindset.”
Mental ended his first fall camp by announcing his four captains, all seniors, as voted on by the players: offensive lineman Noah Atagi, cornerbacks Maxwell Anderson and Marque Collins, and linebacker Winston Reid.
“I think everybody is gravitating toward what their vision is for this year,” Mental said. “This team is about the right things … our senior leaders, they’ve won a lot of football games, they know what it takes to be successful throughout a long season. So I think we’re in a good spot. Just need to keep our routine simple, keep everything in our life simple.”
What is that vision?
“We have a different kind of energy this year, just something that’s kind of unusual with how close we are as a whole team,” Atagi said. “We’re getting after it, getting each other better … we just have this expectation that we’re going to win every rep.”
The top QBs are unofficially set, with sixth-year junior Kylan Weisser at the top and third-year sophomore Creyton Cooper set behind him. Those two watched the rest of the quarterback room — Dylan Gutierrez, Tiger Adolpho, Jakob Hollingshaus and Richie Munoz — take turns during Saturday’s action.
And 6-foot-3 junior Brian Harper, who caught a couple of passes in the scrimmage, has moved over to the tight-end group (where Hayden Meacham has the job and Keayen Nead has been seen taking tons of practice reps).
One of Saturday’s highlights came from a player who changed positions during camp and is pushing for playing time. Redshirt freshman cornerback Tre Parks-Vinson high-pointed a deep ball intended for Treyshun Hurry for an interception.
Defense largely ruled the night, with cornerback Clarence Butler diving to pick off a pass to the sideline and, in a series that began with the offense at its own 1, defensive tackle Matt Herron getting to Gutierrez for a safety.
Offenses found the end zone twice. One series led by Adolpho ended when he found Jacob Sharp for a 30-yard touchdown up the left sideline. Sloan Calder booted a 41-yard field goal and Kyle Thompson connected on a 40-yarder.
One favorite moment for a partisan crowd was when slot receiver Haze Hadley took a sweep pass in motion and scooted 10 yards around the end for a first down.
With the opener on a Thursday next week, the Wildcats now turn to game preparation.
“We’ll go out there, keep performing and focus on the little things,” Mental said.