Sorry we’ve been away for so long. For the last two weeks, the entire sports staff has been consumed by our 2012 Football magazine, which has darn good coverage on all 12 of our area high schools and on North Texas. It’s coming out on Thursday, so be looking out for that.
Last Friday, Ryan scrimmaged Grapevine in its final tune-up before this Friday’s game against Corsicana. The Raiders “won” 21-3, but nobody really cares about the final score in a scrimmage. Still, there a few things worth mentioning coming out of the scrimmage.
1. Preston Compton made a case for playing time
Ryan junior back-up quarterback Preston Compton moved to Denton from Southlake over the summer, and he looked pretty good against Grapevine. Compton had a gorgeous 70-yard pass down the field to a receiver who had burned Grapevine’s secondary and was tackled at the goal line. Compton made strong throws, ran a little bit, and showed he’ll definitely have something to offer this season. Ryan head coach Joey Florence said Compton will play some this season, but the head coach also said with resolute confidence that Mitchell Bridges is going to be Ryan’s starter.
2. Ryan must force more turnovers
If there’s one thing Florence wasn’t necessarily pleased with on Friday, it was the turnover margin. In other words, the ratio of turnovers Ryan forced compared to how many turnovers Ryan committed. Ryan had three turnovers against Grapevine while failing to force any of its own. A team that can force turnovers and not commit any will have a much easier time making it through four quarters. But that goes without saying.
3. 2 Chainz, meet Joey Florence
For those of you who understandably don’t listen to rap music, there’s a man by the name of 2 Chainz who has become the talk of the genre. Mostly, it’s because he says some of the most incompetent things known to man most of the time. Well, he’s made his namesake by saying his name in an obnoxious yet infectious way. He bellows in a deep and drawn out manner, and it’s something kids love to mimic.
After the scrimmage on Friday and with his team kneeling around him, Florence addressed his kids and gave what might be one of the best quotes of the season.
“Y’all been talking about this 2 CHAINZ stuff. Well I got TWO RINGS and I want a third one.”
Class 5A and hip-hop DJs, beware. Joey Florence and the Ryan Raiders are headed your way.