First look, takeaways from football scrimmage between Martinsville, Indian Creek

MARTINSVILLE — Indian Creek made a short trip to Martinsville Wednesday as the Artesians played host to the Braves in early season high school football scrimmage action.

Here are some takeaways from the battle between the two local squads.

Garrett Skaggs to play in feature role

It looks like the Artesians have found their guy to replace 2021's leading receiver, Chase Mabry, in Garrett Skaggs.

Skaggs is Martinsville's lead returning receiver, and a player who saw a lot of passes thrown his way late last season, converting it into a total of 44 receptions, 635 yards and seven touchdowns on the year with 24 of those receptions, 364 yards and five touchdowns coming in the final six games.

Against Indian Creek, Skaggs was slotted in the same role as Mabry was last season, the "Z" position. He took snaps from the backfield on sweeps, was utilized on screen and swing plays and was a consistent target for quarterback Tyler Adkins over the top.

When he was in the open field, he was shifty and showed a knack for picking up yards after catch. He also put his hands on display, dropping only one pass. Martinsville head coach Brian Dugger thinks Skaggs could be in for a big year.

"Garrett came on late last year, so we're excited what he can bring, he's put in some really good work and I think he can have a big year as well."

Indian Creek shows a little more downfield aggression

When scrimmaging against Mooresville last week, head coach Casey Gillin and the Indian Creek offense took more of a reserved approach, giving the running backs plenty of work.

However, that changed a bit with Martinsville. Quarterback Arjun Lothe was awarded more opportunities to air it out, and he delivered. Right off the bat, on two of the Braves' first plays, he delivered accurate strikes down field, one for a 40-yard touchdown.

Even when the second team offense came in, who was dealing with a temporary make-shift quarterback position due to absences, they still let it rip.

"We've got playmakers," Gillin said. "Martinsville's defense is tough to run on because they play that 3-3-stack, and they're trying to fool you a little bit in coverage. But if you can protect and get some shots over top, you've got a chance against that type of defense. So, that's what we worked on today. It was fun to take some shots and figure out if we can do that, and we did."

Shrake picking up where he left off

Brayden Shrake showedpotential late last season, and from what he displayed on the field Wednesday, it appears he's picking up right where he left off.

The junior was finding lanes, bouncing off defenders and making moves to create space. It's not often a running back is able to bring both thunder and lightning, but Shrake has an ability to do so.

He's set to lead backfield duties in 2022, as well as play in the defensive secondary.

"He's another one that's had a really productive offseason," Dugger said. "Garrett and Brayden, they had really good end of years and really good off-season's. They're in the weight room, their commitment to the program, the extra stuff. It's showing. Brayden's a kid who will probably be a two-way starter for us and he'll carry the blunt of it."

Braves' running backs continue to play important role

While it's a safe bet to see a Gillin-led offense toss the ball downfield, the Braves haven't been shy in their run approach in both scrimmages this year, either.

Any good offense needs a little balance, even in the current pass-heavy age of football. Much like Martinsville, the majority of offensive snaps are coming from the shotgun position. Also like Martinsville, there's plenty of run-pass-option calls.

While there was more reliance on the quarterback position Wednesday, the two-man backfield of Jalen Sauer and Malachi Mink received plenty of carries on the day, and both showed a solid ability to find the holes and convert extra yardage. Though, Gillin sees plenty of room for improvement.

"We've got to get more vertical, we're doing too many horizontal things, but there's holes in there that we can hit, and our offensive line is doing a great job," Gillin said. "If you were to watch us back in January, we were leaving guys free all the time. We're not doing that as much. I'm proud of those guys."

Tyler Adkins gets some draw opportunities

It's a given Tyler Adkins is going to air it out, he is one of Indiana's top returning signal callers after all, tossing for 2,292 yards and 28 touchdowns last season. But Dugger allowed the senior do something he ordinarily hasn't been asked to do.

Run the ball.

It makes sense, Dugger doesn't want to risk putting his quarterback in harm's way. But in the draw and keep opportunities he was given against the Braves, he showed he has the capability to break free and make things happen.

"Tyler has the ability to do it, it's really more on me not getting him hurt and keeping him safe," Dugger said. "He can do it, he's a kid that's capable of doing it, I've just been pretty gun shy to do it with him."

Contact reporter Devin Voss at dvoss@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @DevinVoss23.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: First look, takeaways from scrimmage between Martinsville, Indian Creek