Northwestern opens spring football practice: ‘Getting better every day’
A new season of Northwestern football is underway.
The powerhouse in Rock Hill on the heels of its sixth South Carolina state championship had its first spring practice Thursday afternoon at the high school.
Quarterbacks Xavier Means, a rising junior, and soon-to-be senior McCrea Knight each took snaps behind center throughout practice. Both signal callers consistently hit their targets, with Means getting slightly more reps with the Trojans’ first team.
“We just missed the football field,” Means said. “I’m learning how to throw to my people and build a new connection with them. It’s exciting, man. Finley (Polk) left me with a good program in a great position, and I feel like I have those shoes to fill in, and I feel I can do the job.”
‘We know how to pick each other up’
Head coach Page Wofford, whose seventh season at the helm began Thursday, is pleased with the sharp quarterback play.
All five offensive linemen return, and Northwestern’s receivers were snagging catches and running routes well at the opening practice. It’s evident that the team has depth, something that was important throughout last year’s state title run.
The Trojans didn’t have their entire roster on the field Thursday afternoon, as numerous athletes are competing in track and baseball. But their play on both sides of the football remains impressive, and longtime members of the program are stepping into bigger roles.
“We’re like a family,” senior linebacker Kamerin McFadden said. “We all know how to work with each other. We know how to pick each other up. We all know about each other.”
‘Run together, sweat together, complain together’
Tamarion Watkins, the fifth-ranked player in the Palmetto State, leads Northwestern’s defense.
The team has also been particularly strong in the weight room throughout the spring. That’s something particularly important to Wofford — who was initially a strength coach — as a well-rounded defense can get stops and create more chances to score.
While they were missing a handful of potential starters at Thursday’s opening practice, the players’ athleticism was commendable. Both Watkins and McFadden are emerging as leaders of the defensive unit, a group that appears to already have more speed.
“Summer is a team-building phase for us,” Watkins said. “We all run together, sweat together, complain together and all that. Spring is a ‘pre’ to that. We all get out here, play the game we love and that brings us together even more.”
‘We’ll figure out a way to stop the other team’
Wofford joked that he could have run the ball for 1,200 yards with Northwestern’s offense last season.
Returning the offensive line is critical, especially as there’s a reasonable chance a younger quarterback ends up starting behind center. Their prowess opens up holes for the Trojans, and it helps them find their playmakers lined up outside.
Training camp continues throughout this month before summer conditioning. Both sides of the football impressed on Day One, and there’s not much more to ask for as the team chases its first consecutive state titles in school history.
“We’ll figure out a way to stop the other team and put points on the board,” Wofford said. “This time last year, I wasn’t thinking ‘state championship.’ We’re just thinking about getting better every day.”
