Last season, Pine Bluff football coach Micheal Williams often praised his defense.
That remained true Tuesday night, when the Zebras’ defense stood out during Pine Bluff’s spring game at Jordan Stadium.
“Our defense still the same defense,” Williams said. “Them boys stingy. They stingy. It’s hard to score against those guys. I wasn’t surprised about the defense, but I did get a chance to see some more guys step up on the defense. Offense wise, we still got a lot of work to do, but we gonna get there.”
It didn’t take the defense long to make a play. Kevin Pope intercepted a pass on the scrimmage’s third play and returned it 18 yards past the original line of scrimmage.
Later, Jayden Greenwood intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Williams said Greenwood just moved to Pine Bluff from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and quickly stood out during spring practice.
“I’m excited about him,” Williams said. “I didn’t think he could play football that good, because when he came in, he was like, ‘Coach, I want to try to play.’ I was like, ‘OK, let’s give it a shot.’ But he’s been excellent this spring. He’s probably the spring MVP, most improved for me.”
Cordale Guy recovered a bad snap for an apparent turnover, but bad snaps were often whistled dead during the scrimmage. Marshon Jordan made several great tackles for losses or minimal gains, including two on the game’s second drive.
On offense, several players rotated at quarterback, but the main two were DeVonte Wallace and Antwon Miller. Wallace backed up last year’s starter, Landon Holcomb, while Miller is a freshman.
“[Wallace] does a really good job,” Williams said. “He just has to understand when wind is blowing, you’ve got to understand when to give it some and when not to give it some. He did some good things stepping up in the pocket, not getting scared and throwing it.
“I have a freshman kid out there. [Miller] did a good job, as well. He completed some of his short passes, threw them on time. He ran over a guy or two out there. He’s a big boy, and so, I’m excited about those two guys.”
Wallace hit a deep pass to Quintin Roy early, and Roy made a nice sideline catch. On the next possession, Miller fooled the defense by keeping the ball and trucked a defender for a first down.
The Zebras are coming off a Conference 5A Central championship and state semifinals run but must replace a litany of seniors. Williams said the next group of players needs to step up this year, and that process continues over the summer.
“We got to take this weight room very seriously,” Williams said. “One thing I do understand, if you’re stronger than the next team, that’s half the battle. So hopefully, we come in this summer, steady developing our offense throughout the summer with a lot of 7-on-7s and a lot of team camps.”