Spring promise: BHS football works hard first week, running back rotation looks strong
It might be May on the calendar, but its autumn in the hearts of the Bartlesville High football team.
That’s the fiery focus for the Bruins, who are nearing the end of their first week of spring practice.
On Saturday, the coaching staff has organized a full evening of grid action to introduce fans to both the current Bartlesville warriors, as well as glimpses of its gritty tradition.
The gates at Custer Stadium are set to open at 5:30 p.m. and an alumni games set to begin at 6 p.m. Approximately 40 former Bruins have signed up to play in the 7-on-7 games, first-year Bruin head football coach Harry Wright said.
At 7 p.m., Wright’s Bruins will collide in a Navy vs. White Game.
Following that contest, the alumni championship final will take place.
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This year’s Bruin players made a favorable impression the first couple of days this week on their new head coach.
“I’ve been pleased with how we’ve looked so far,” Wright said Tuesday evening.
Wright and his staff have formatted the practices by utilizing a Navy and a White team.
They’ve tried to develop the talent up evenly in order to give as many players as possibly maximum reps.
“One of the reason we split the teams is we’re able to develop two sets of starters,” Wright said. “We’re kind of doubling the number of starters. I think that’s important in the spring, especially with as many new coaches as we have. We’re trying to see who can do what and who can move where.”
A position unit in which Wright sees as a bright spot is his running back rotation.
“They might have been one of the highlights,” he said, mentioning last year’s primary starter Austin Zink, P.J. Wallace and Cameron Hightower.
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Zink and Hightower have been working together on the same unit, with Wallace attached to the other.
“I think the running back position has been really good,” Wright said, noting Zink — who will be a junior — and Wallace — who will be a sophomore — seasoned their skills with plenty of varsity carries last year.
Zink and Wallace “are very similar as running backs,” Wright said. “They run downhill real well.”
Their strength is “to lower their heads and get four yards,” he said. “They fit that mode well.”
Hightower saw time last year at defensive back and has added some weight, Wright said.
“He’s had a good offseason,” Wright continued. “He really coming on at runningback and we’re giving him a look at inside linebacker.”
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The emphasis in practice the rest of the week will be to continue to install as much as possible.
“We want to make it look good for Saturday,” Wright said. “We want people to come and see some good competition. We’re trying to get everything taught and make sure we’re moving in the right direction we want.”
Bartlesville hired Wright last early winter. He took charge of a program that is 13-28 the past four seasons and hasn’t posted a winning record since 2015. But, the Bruins have displayed a fighting spirit, suffering several single-digit losses and remaining in the playoff chase most until late in most seasons.
Bartlesville graduated a relatively low number of senior starters off last year’s team (3-7). The coaching staff is largely rebuilt although Jason “Moon” Munoz returns as the offensive coordinator for the fifth-straight season.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Focus on Bartlesville High spring football practice
