Blue Devils ready for action

West Memphis football gets set for 2020 season with scrimmage

By BILLY WOODS

WM School District

The governor has given the go-ahead, and the West Memphis Blue Devils are ready.

New head coach Robert Hooks will take his first Blue Devil team to Blytheville on Friday night for a preseason scrimmage at Haley Field.

Game time is set for 7 p.m.

“The time for games has approached fast for us, but we’re excited about the opportunity,” said Hooks. “We’re ready to hit the field, put some pads on and hit somebody else for the first time.”

With the Covid-19 pandemic still causing uncertainty with school-related activities, football coaches across America haven taken a cautious approach to playing this season. But Hooks has his troops ready to give the fans a preview.

“Not knowing whether or not we would be playing has caused a few setbacks, but once we got the word on Friday everybody was gungho about it,” Hooks added. “We’re just ready to play an opponent.”

The Blue Devils are scheduled to open the season Aug. 28 at home against Southwest Little Rock. Ticket information will be forthcoming.

Hooks said Friday night’s format at Blytheville would include some specialty reps for the first half of action. The second half will be a full-out scrimmage for two fully-timed quarters.

“Some of the things we want to see from our end is the offensive line,” said Hooks. “To see how well they compete. We feel like our skills guys are going to be competitive. We just want to make sure that we finetune things up front. Overall, I want to see guys competing until the whistle blows. Not play-watching, but finishing each play. As long as we’re giving 100 percent effort, we can correct the mistakes.”

New Blue Devil head football coach Robert Hooks will take his team to Blytheville on Friday for a preseason scrimmage.

Photo by Billy Woods