Sonny Holland Classic concludes spring workouts

The Sonny Hollad Spring Classic started with an air of anticipation in the stands as fans returned to Bobcat Stadium. Tommy Mellot’s opening pass was strong and decisive, right to wide receiver Ravi Alston. After that throw, apprehension faded and the spectators began to sit back and enjoy watching their favorite Bobcats once again.

“I thought our guys really competed well, spring ball is another good evaluation for us to take a look at them. But, these games are always interesting, you don’t know how it's gonna play out,” Coach Brent Vigen said after the scrimmage on Saturday, April 23. 

The annual inter-squad scrimmage game gave fans, coaches and analysts a chance to see what Bobcat football will look like once the 2022 football season begins in August.

“It was a solid day for sure, I’m happy with the guys getting up even with a few inches of snow, that they still got out and performed,” Tommy Mellott said. “Everyone was locked in and we were competing, I’m happy with the entire group.”

Some players that had exceptional performances were Mellot and Sean Austin, both quarterbacks showing improvement with in-game awareness and passing ability. Lane Sumner and Charles Brown also had impressive receptions throughout the game. In the second half of the game Brown’s completion of plays and force down the field was instrumental in the gray team making their comeback. 

The final score was 24-17 with the gray team coming back from a 17 point halftime deficit. Even for a spring scrimmage, it held all the intensity and excitement of a regular season game. 

Coming into this game a lot of people had questions about the Bobcat defense. With Troy Anderson graduated and a few other key players missing, what would it look like? Both the blue and gray teams played with ferocity on the offensive and defensive lines. But, in order for that defensive line to grow, “those six that played last year need to step into a bigger role, need to keep coming and continue their growth,” Vigen said. 

He also touched on the opportunity players now have to grow, not only defensively but in all aspects of the game. 

“There's room for development there; it allows for some guys to be called upon and tested.”

“Coming straight from rehab into spring ball, the process has been very reassuring,” Mellot said about his growth since his injury in the FCS championship game. “The first week back was slow but after week three I felt great, back to 100. Now it's just making up for those eight weeks that were more mental than physical, I thought I made a bunch of strides over spring ball.”