Cape football caps preseason with trip to Caravel Academy

In a final preseason test, Cape football took on defending 2A state champion Caravel Academy in Glasgow Aug. 21.

“Caravel’s a top team,” said Cape coach Chip Knapp. “They got a lot of scholarship players on that state championship returning team, and so that was a big challenge right there. We saw some flashes of some things that are going to help win us some games, but we have a long way to go.”

Knapp thinks his team needs to clean up a few more things before it starts filling up the win column. The aerial attack, led by junior Jameson Tingle, showed it can gain chunks on a highlight-reel catch by Amari Jackson early in Cape’s first 10-play preseason possession. Sniffing the end zone following the catch, the Vikings nearly opened up the game’s scoring, but couldn’t punch the ball in. 

In the future, Cape may be able to capitalize on such a chance, but the Vikings are replacing four of the five starting offensive linemen from last year, with senior Liam Ramsey as the only holdover. Ramsey noted senior Tre Batson, a stalwart on the defensive line, is playing on the offensive side for the first time to try and boost Tingle’s security. Starting Mike linebacker, senior Robbie Payton, is also a new face on the offensive side, as he will be snapping the ball and calling out the protection. All three linemen will play both ways.

“We got a freshman and a sophomore playing right now that are rotating and getting to go against some pretty good D linemen today,” Knapp said. “We are a work in progress on the O-line, trying to find the right combination of guys that are gonna create some stability for offense.”

The offense showed that if Tingle has time, it has some playmakers who can hurt defenses. In the running game, Oz Batson and Dell Richards looked good following their blockers and remaining patient before using their speed to get upfield. Ty Handy proved he’s still a slippery tackle too. Getting reps with the second team and JV players, Andrew Messick proved to be a difficult tackle, keeping a low center of gravity and driving with his legs in contact. 

“We're looking for guys who are going to give us a spark,” Knapp said. “Today, we saw a little bit of that with Andrew Messick; we had some other guys [like] Ty Handy running. Amari Jackson has some big-play capability, and of course, Jameson Tingle, and we just got to get in sync.”

Defensively, Richards and Payton each made thud tackles for losses, both coming clean on what looked like an A-gap blitz on their respective plays. Players swarmed to the ball and were eager to try and force a fumble. Senior Mason Schaeffer scooped one up against the Vikings’ end zone. Chemistry on passing plays in the defensive backfield is still brewing.

Cape opens its season at Legends Stadium against Saint Mark’s at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 28.