Wood pumped up for season opener

September 3, 2010

By David Selig
The Winchester Star       

WINCHESTER- James Wood High School will kick off a new tradition tonight, as its football players enter the field running through an oversized inflatable helmet.

The Colonels just need to make sure they're not too pumped up for their 7 p.m. season opener against visiting Washington (W.Va.).

"I think people are going to get a kick out of it," Wood coach Mile Bolin said of the helmet, which was bought from money raised by the team's booster club. "We just have to win now."

Bolin said it can sometimes be a challenge to rein in players' emotions as they take the field for the first time in a season.

It might be even more tough for the Colonels, who had to wait an extra week to start theirs. (Washington opened with a 20-6 loss at Hedgesville last Friday.)

But Bolin said his team has made strides throughout the final weeks of the preseason, which included a scrimmage last Friday at North Hagerstown (Md.).

"We've steadily improved every day," Bolin said. We're moving in the right direction."

Last year, the Colonels ran past the Patriots 35-19 behind 302 rushing yards from Brock Lockhart.

This time, Wood will be debuting its running back committee, which will feature Joel McGreevy, Mark Collie, Chris Skinner and returning fullback Cory Schrock. Bolin said Washington - which enters its third year as a program - features a similar run-based offense.

Fullback Tyrek Collier may be the Patriots' most dangerous ball-carrier. He finished with 103 yards on eight carries last week - including Washington's lone touchdown on an 80-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

But Bolin said the primary focus towards the end of preseason has been less about the Patriots and more about what the Colonels need to do right themselves.

"You have the most time to prepare for the opener, but in some cases it's also the toughest to prepare for," Bolin said. "We just need to be fundamentally sound and execute."

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