WEDNESOny, MAY 3,20171 PAGE 14
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ASHLEY Klf^Gi staff Photographer v*
Freshman quarterback
Jalen Green runs the
ball during the anual
Spring game March 29.
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SPRINGING TOWARD
THE FALL
Phoenix ends spring
scrimmage schedule
with newfound intensity
Miles Garrett
Contributor
(gMilesMGarrett
The Eton University football team
concluded its final spring scrimmage
on a hot and humid Saturday after
noon with 20 40-yard sprints.
Midway through the scrimmage,
new head coach Curt Cignetti stopped
the players and gathered them for a
quick kneel-down before colorfully
yelling at his team for their effort.
It’s a part of the new level of
intensity the former University of
Alabama wide receiver coach has
tried to bring to the Elon football
team, which is coming off a disap
pointing 2-9 season.
“He was just telling us if we want
to change the culture around here,
we have to change what we do right
now,” junior offen
sive lineman Alex
Higgins said. “We
have to do those
sprints after prac
tice to make sure
we can finish in the
fourth quarter.”
The scrimmage
displayed some
noteworthy competition at the quar
terback position. The Phoenix’s for
mer No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart
— juniors Connor Christiansen, who
has since moved to safety, and Daniel
Thompson — have been replaced with
early freshmen enrollees.
The Phoenix looks to use a strong run game behind new quarterback choice.
ASHLEY KINGI staff Photographer
Two young
quarterbacks
compete for
the starting
spot in the
fall.
New gunslingers Davis Cheek and
Jalen Greene battled for a chance to
lead the Phoenix in the fall, though the
spring game offered no clear-cut favor
ite. Greene opened up the scrimmage
with a 55-yard touchdown run and
had some impressive longer throws to
receivers throughout the game.
Greene saw success on multiple
short, intermediate throws as well,
but he also had a couple of fumbles
on read handoffs to running backs.
Cheek, who has only participated in
five of the 12 practices due to sickness,
delivered some high intensity throws
down the middle of the field. He hit
sophomore receiver Tre Marsh for a
32-yard touchdown and added a short
running touchdown of his own.
“I thought both quarterbacks did
good things,” Cignetti said. “I thought
Jalen had a really good scrimmage
and Davis really picked it up as the
scrimmage got going and made a
few throws. They both had terrific
springs. Tm glad they’re here enrolled
early. We’ve got a nice situation at
quarterback.”
Meanwhile, on the ground, the
Phoenix look to be in good shape.
The team will enter fall practice with
a new starting tailback. Redshirt fresh
man Brelynd Cyphers has the edge
over junior running back Malcolm
Summers, according to Cignetti. But
Summers did have an 84-yard run
from inside his own 5-yard line and a
38-yard scamper.
The success and failure of
Cyphers and Summers will per
haps be a strong indicator of how
Elon performs this season with
its new offense. Coach Cignetti
has preached a “pound the rock”
approach with an emphasis on the
run game.
It’s an approach that Higgins
said the offensive line has taken a
liking to.
“I frickin’ love it,” he said with
a smile.
As for the team’s goals heading
into summer before fall camp begins,
Higgins and fellow offensive lineman
junior CJ Toogood said it all starts in
the weight room.
“We need to just trust in our
strength coach and get bigger,
stronger, faster over the summer,”
Toogood said. “We don’t need to
catch up going into camp; we just
need to take another step forward like
we did for spring ball.”
“We just have to stay in the film
room, get everyone to learn their plays
and focus on technique,” Higgins
added. “The weight room is going to be
big for us this summer.”
The necessary constant improve
ment will be something to note going
forward, with an Elon team going
through a regime change. The Phoenix
have not had to make too many adjust
ments strategically, but the mindset
has been a clear medium of focus for
Cignetti.
Higgins mentioned that the dif
ference in intensity has already been
“through the roof,” but this fall will be a
true indicator of the team’s progress as
it begins regular season play Aug. 31 in
Ohio at the University of Toledo.
“We’re making progress as a
team,” Cignetti said. “We’re making
progress in terms of our toughness,
our tempo, our physicality; we’re fin
ishing better, we’re executing better.
We’ve still got some holes that we
have to fill, but we have a long way to
go yet. But we’re a lot further along
than when we started.”