Alton Red-Gray Football Scrimmage Goes Well As Redbirds Prepare For Opening Night, Redbirds Get Good Work In, Play In Front Of Fans For First Time In

Colin Feeney, Contributing Sports Writer

Aug 21, 2021 7:30 AM Aug 23, 2021 9:49 AM

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ALTON - The Alton High football team held its first Red-Gray scrimmage since 2019 on Friday night at Public School Stadium before a very good crowd, and things went very well for the Redbirds as they prepare for the season opener at Belleville Althoff Catholic next Friday night.

The Redbirds were able to get quality work in during the scrimmage, and both enthusiasm and spirits were very high during the scrimmage.

"I thought they went well," said Alton head coach Eric Dickerson. "We got some good work in, and it was nice to play in front of fans for the first time in a while. It went good, as I said, we made it through unscathed and the kids had fun, which is the most important thing."

And another important thing during the scrimmage was the Redbird players were able to get refocused on their preparations for the Crusaders for their week one matchup.

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"It's gonna be here," Dickerson said. "We've got some work to do this week, but I think tonight got the kids to redirect their focus for what we need to do next week."

There were a few standouts during the scrimmage on both sides of the ball, but Dickerson felt that it was a very strong team effort all around.

"It was a team effort tonight," Dickerson said. "Our offensive line did a good job tonight. and when they play well, it makes our quarterback and running back look good. And I also thought Keith (Gilchrese) ran the ball really hard, Graham (McAfoos) made some good throws and both Julian (Caffey) and Aiden (Belchik) made some good catches. The defense looked good, and we've god some guys who like to fly around and make plays."

The focus now is on getting ready for Althoff in the season opener, and both Dickerson and his players feel ready to get the new season underway.

"Now it's getting ready for our week one opponent," Dickerson said. "It's the start of the season, we've got a good group of kids, and we're ready to roll."