Football wraps up summer with Anna joint practice
As the football players and coaches with the Tippecanoe program now enjoy their down week leading up to the opening day of practice, August 3, the squad competed in a joint practice last week with state powerhouse Anna at the stadium.
The Red Devils are now off for 11 days to enjoy family vacation and downtime leading up to practice, but the practice with Anna was a huge success according to Tipp coach Matt Burgbacher.
“It was awesome today. They are a very good football team,” Burgbacher said. “It was some great competition of teams getting better, and I loved what I saw from both teams. Anna does some things differently, and it was good for us to practice against and walk through some things like that.”
“We got exposed on some of those little things that we don’t take care of when you play a good team like that. It was great work, and everyone is dog tired right now.”
Burgbacher said his kids were taken out of their comfort zone at times, which is good for his team.
“They run a completely different defense, and we didn’t practice against what they do,” he said. “You have to learn on the run, and our guys did get out of their comfort zone. Their passing game was different than what we are used to. They are so well coached, and both teams are walking off the field much better.”
Tipp had a busy seven days, traveling to Chaminade Julienne for a 7-on-7, making the hour-plus drive to Elida and then hosting Anna. Burgbacher feels his team has progressed since early June.
“It is night and day,” he said. “We are a completely different team with a different mindset,” he said. “Offensively with our passing game, it is clicking. One coach said last night, it looks like Tipp is in midseason form, and that came from a very credible source.”
“Larkin is doing a great job in taking what the defense gives you, and sometimes that is the five-yard passes, then boom, you can go deep. The receivers are running the routes to get open.”
“Our defense is playing great even with the seven-on-seven’s putting them in a bind. We have a few injuries and other sports, so we are creating some depth.”
*Tipp now prepares for the first day of practice, August 3, which means preparation for their opening night against Bellbrook. Burgbacher said he wants to have everything in this week before the team goes on their break
“Defensively, we have practiced against every type of offense we will play this season and have exposed the players to that.”
As the kids and coaches now head out for vacation or just a break at home for a week, Burgbacher feels it is a good thing to get their minds right.
“Until you do it, you don’t understand it, and with us doing that, we understand it,” he said. “Yes, there are some negatives with the kids coming back a little rusty, but more importantly, the kids' minds are fresh.”
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