Football Impresses in Tuneup Versus Proctor

EXETER, NH - This weekend, Phillips Exeter Academy’s varsity football team took advantage of their first chance to take on another school since coming together for preseason two weeks ago. The team faced Proctor Academy in a loosely-structured scrimmage on Saturday afternoon, looking impressive throughout the day. It was obvious that the team was eager to show off the work they did in preseason, even if they were not able to demonstrate it in a typical game format. After a dominant showing, the team is looking forward to their first game of the season.The scrimmage began with each team switching possession every ten plays. This gave each squad a chance to play both offense and defense, and switch in second-string players after the starters took a set. After several series of going back and forth, the teams were given a 15-minute quarter to play at full-game speed. In the quarter, Big Red looked very promising, outscoring Proctor 14-0.Exeter’s defense has been a highlight this preseason. While the offense has been more of a concern early on, Big Red showed few signs of weakness, marching down the field twice and converting on a two-point conversion attempt after their first score.“There is always room for improvement, but it seems our offense has clicked and our defense was never in doubt,” upper Tucker Lemos said. “With the offense clicking it looks as if it will be tough to stop Big Red.”With a team deep in talent, Big Red will look to kick off their season with a win at our own Phelps Stadium against Worcester Academy on Saturday at 5 PM. Building off last year’s undefeated season, Big Red will be looking to start this year off in similar style.