Cats get through first week of two-a-days

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Longtime Clovis coach Eric Roanhaus gave his players a simple set of instructions during Saturday’s post-practice talk. Get rest, and don’t do anything stupid.

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis football coach Eric Roanhaus addresses the team at the conclusion of its Saturday morning practice at the school. The Wildcats will scrimmage Roswell at 5 p.m. on Aug. 16 at Leon Williams Stadium.

The other stuff is proving somewhat more difficult, but Clovis didn’t have any real hiccups in its first week of two-a-day practices.

“It’s been a lot easier this year,” senior linebacker Skyler Wadas said, pointing to his previous year of experience as a starter. “Being a senior and having to be a leader, it does make you play harder.”

The Wildcats have another week and change to get ready for their 5 p.m. Aug. 16 scrimmage against Roswell at home. But Roanhaus said Hobbs is the key.

First, Roanhaus said, the Eagles are the Aug. 26 season opener. Second, Hobbs plays spread, and so does the majority of the regular season slate of opponents.

“We focused this first week on Hobbs, and we’re going to focus Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on Hobbs,” Roanhaus said. “Thursday, Friday and Saturday we’ll focus on Roswell. They’re more of a veer offense.”

link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis seniors, from left, Alex Santa Rosa, Tyler Damron and Shamar Anthony do wind sprints during Saturday’s Wildcats football practice.

Other teams running the spread, Roanhaus said, are Lubbock Cooper, Rio Rancho, Eldorado, La Cueva and Manzano. The others are either more balanced (Carlsbad and Sandia), run-heavy (Goddard) or rebuilding (Santa Fe, which lost all 10 games last year by at least 27 points).

The Wildcats are hoping to be around last year’s 7-3 regular-season mark, if not better, though Cooper and the District 2-6A slate provide some challenges.

Clovis earned the No. 4 seed last season, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by No. 5 Mayfield. Wadas said despite the finish, it was a good building block after the team went 6-6 the previous four campaigns.

“We always try to make improvements,” Wadas said, “get past 7-4, 8-3, maybe undefeated. We want to be better. That’s been a key throughout our practices.”

Wadas is the second-string quarterback behind senior Sebastian Roanhaus, but he expects to play mostly on defense.

Coach Roanhaus said the football IQ needs to improve the most on offense, but that isn’t a surprise with senior running back Micah Gray being the only returning starter on that side of the ball.

“We’ve thrown a lot at them this week, primarily on offense,” Roanhaus said, “and some of them still have a deer-in-the-headlights look.”

Roanhaus said Gray, who is fielding various college offers, was accountable for 62 percent of last year’s offense until a neck injury suffered at Frenship put him on the sidelines for a month and reduced his usage when he returned. Roanhaus doesn’t expect the percentages to change this year.

“He’s an all-state running back,” Roanhaus said. “Our offense is going to run through him, and the other guys we’ve got, from Seth Lopez to Sebastian to Lane Kelley, will complement him.”