Bears are better in the rain: Houston County caps spring training with silver and black game

WARNER ROBINS — Inclement weather didn’t stop the Houston County Bears as they took Freedom Field for their spring game on Friday night.

The weather forecast predicted rain in Warner Robins almost all day, but on social media (and in my text messages), HoCo coach Jeremy Edwards’s only response to questions about the game was: ‘Bears are better in the rain.’

Friday wasn’t a traditional spring game. There was no score or timed quarters, but HoCo practiced a lot of 11-on-11 situational drives.

As usual, lots of players got reps, and according to Edwards he had a lot of kids asking to play on both sides of the ball.

“A lot of guys were asking to go both ways,” he said. “I felt like both quarterbacks (Antwann Hill and Gray Dunlap) did some really good things…made some plays at wide out, some guys were playing both ways. Trey Leary [and Isaiah Mitchell] had a good night.”

PHOTOS: Check out more photos from Friday’s scrimmage.

Amir Thomas looks to step up into the RB1 slot with Ryan Taleb graduating, and while he looked good, sophomore Austin Stinson also had his moments.

Both are agile runners who can make plays in space, but they lack size and power going up the middle.

“Our running game I think is something that’s always gonna be a work in progress. But I think our tempo and just getting more reps at it, it’s gonna lend to some success on the ground as well,” Edwards said.

Though evaluating players is one of the priorities of spring football, Edwards emphasized team building as their spring came to a close.

“I feel like as a team, we grew closer. I think that’s most important,” he said. “You want to try to build a bond in the offseason so that guys are willing and able and want to play for each other. I think that’s a lost thing in this day and age with a lot of people looking for individual accolades. We got a lot of unselfish kids that are just doing a lot of great things and loving on each other and us coaches are doing the same thing, trying to get them as good as we can.”

As the Bears huddled arounds Edwards before heading into two weeks off, he left them with Ecclesiastes chapter four, verses 9-12:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”