Takeaways from Mooresville's football scrimmage with Pendleton Heights

Pendleton, Ind. — Football is back. Well, almost, at least. There's still six days remaining until the games that really count. But Friday served as a good taste for the upcoming season as teams across the state scrimmaged one another with more of a live action feel.

For Mooresville, it made a 55-mile trip to Pendleton Heights to play the Class 4A Arabians. Here are a few takeaways from the scrimmage as the Pioneers prepare for week one with Bloomington North.

Defense still coming together

Defense was the area Mooresville was impacted most by graduation. Friday's scrimmage with the Arabians proved the team is still working out the kinks on that side of the ball.

There were plenty of penalties, primarily encroachment or offsides. There were times defenders struggled to bring down the ball carrier, eventually leading to a touchdown or first down when the Pioneers thought they had the Arabians pinned.

"Defensively we've got to play a little better," Gillin said. "We gave up too many plays, too much yardage. They got in the endzone those two times. But (overall) we played real well and played a lot of kids too."

There were bright spots, though. Mooresville was able to shut Pendleton Heights down on multiple possessions, holding firm on fourth and short in some cases. Really, the defensive play showed the purpose of scrimmaging, especially with a more natural feel. Now the Pioneers know where they need to work.

"We had seven or eight penalties, we can't have penalties, we've gotta correct that right away," Gillin said. "That just gives them more opportunity. So, we'll be working on that this week."

Offense up to par

The Pioneers didn't have many problems offensively. The most that hindered them were penalties, which often came at inopportune times when the team was in a groove and carving its way down the field. Outside of that, Mooresville had its way, scoring on multiple possessions.

The team didn't veer too much outside of a few formations, perhaps not wanting to show its cards before the big week one matchup with the Cougars. It wasn't perfect, there's still some things Mooresville needs to fine tune, but ultimately it didn't matter much, quarterback Nick Patterson made plays, and touchdowns, happen, both through the air and on the ground.

"We got a lot of offense we didn't use tonight; I think we scored five, six times, but I like what we did," Gillin said. "It was up and down a little bit with our passing game, but Nick does what Nick does. He's gonna find a way to get the ball in the endzone."

Trying out different backs

While Brandon Wilson is the presumed starting running back (the senior got the bulk of the starting carries), Gillin and the Mooresville coaching staff toyed around with a few others who'll also be helping out in the backfield.

Wilson looked impressive with his reps, finding ways to generate yards after contact and extend plays altogether. Also in the mix was Jarius Evans, who displayed some elusiveness. Junior Kennan Brownlee got some snaps with the starting unit as well.

"We used three running backs and I think all of them showed some spark and some quickness," Gillin said. "Wilson looked really strong up the middle. Evans made some great cuts and Keenan Brownlee too. All three of those guys are going to get a little playing time and I'm excited to get them involved in the offense."

Prepping for Bloomington North

Next up for Mooresville is the Class 5A Cougars at home next Friday, Aug. 19, to open the season. Bloomington North returns much of its 7-4 roster from a year ago, so Gillin and the Pioneers are expecting a good battle.

"They've got some cats, they're always athletic as they can be," Gillin said. "It's going to be a war; I really believe it is. We can't give up the penalties like we gave up tonight or we'll be in for a long night. But we've still got No. 9 and that's a big plus for us."

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

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Takeaways from Mooresville's football scrimmage with Pendleton Heights