Video: Rummel, Helen Cox benefit from scrimmage

A pair of good football teams who figure to be factors in their respective classifications hooked up Tuesday in the first scrimmage of the fall at Hoss Memtsas Stadium.

The work proved beneficial for Archbishop Rummel and Helen Cox.

A year ago, the Raiders reached the Division I semifinals, narrowly missing reaching the state title game while Helen Cox, competing in 4A, won its first playoff game since 2008.

The 2019 season holds great promise for both teams.

That was evident Tuesday evening.

Rummel played without star junior running back Logan Diggs did not play due to a knee issue while Helen Cox played without starting senior quarterback Jordan George, who has a strained back.

Neither team scored in the first and second team alternating possessions before the the Raiders scored twice in the team portion of the competition while Helen Cox scored once after both teams failed to score in the preliminary part of the scrimmage.

Rummel scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Wickersham to Amour Rachal while Logan Bertucci scored on a 25-yard touchdown run.

“I think we saw some good things but we saw a lot of things that need improvement,” Rummel coach Nick Monica said. “Our defense did a good job. We have to stay focused on the little things in striving for perfection. We did get out of there healthy.”

It was the first action for junior quarterback Kyle Wickersham in quite some time. Wickersham, who transferred from Jesuit, has been out of action for much of the past two years due to injuries but he is healthy now and his ability is obvious. Wickersham completed his first five passes in the scrimmage, including four to LSU commit Koy Moore.

“I thought Kyle did a halfway decent job today of running the offense but now he has to even more of a leader for us and take the next step,” Monica said.

“It was a normal day for me,” Monica said. “I didn’t feel any different than I have previously.”

Helen Cox scored on the final play of the scrimmage on a 45-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Ray Ruffin to Khaari Fields.

“I’m happy with the work. We got some good, positive work. We’ve only been in pads one dey. I think we did a really good job. We’ll get better with more repetitions. I was especially pleased with our defense. We have a transfer running back in Tyrone Wilson who did not play who can really play. Our quarterback, Jordan George did not play. Ruffin did a good job controlling the offense as a sophomore.”

Both Monica and Davis are entering their first seasons as head coaches at their respective fields. Monica was elevated to the head coaching position after being an assistant coach since 2006, succeeding legendary Jay Roth, now the Raider athletic director.

Davis was elevated to the head coaching position after being an assistant coach under Skip Lamothe, who resigned and has moved to Texas where he is coaching now.

How did the first day on the job in pads against an opponent feel to both?

“It was a normal day for me,” Monica said. “I didn’t feel any different than I have previously. Perhaps that is because I was so busy with working with the defense.”

“A lot of people really don’t know my past,” Davis said. “I won a couple of national championships as a semi-pro head coach and was a head coach in middle school. This is a different level but it is the same. We just want the kids to buy in to what we are trying to accomplish. I think the transition from Coach Skip Lamothe to myself was smooth all around.”