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CEDAR CREEK — The Cedar Creek Eagles varsity football team took the field for its annual spring game on Friday, May 16, giving fans a first glimpse at the new era under first-year head coach Jared Shaw.
Since his arrival earlier this offseason, Shaw has worked to instill a renewed energy and sense of purpose within the program, and Friday’s performance was an early sign that the message is resonating.
“I thought we did a great job on both sides of the ball with finishing plays, bringing great energy, and just having fun out there,” Shaw said. “I was really impressed with the way our kids carried themselves last Friday. You could tell they were excited to compete.”
Spring games offer a valuable opportunity for coaches to evaluate their teams in a game-like setting, and Shaw came away encouraged by what he saw, particularly from the defense.
“Defense definitely stood out. Our offense made some good plays as well, but defensively, guys were flying around and creating turnovers,” Shaw said. “There were 11 hats to the ball with bad intentions upon arrival. That’s the type of relentless effort we want to see — and we saw it on both sides of the ball.”
In addition to evaluating talent and progress, Shaw and his staff entered the spring game with specific goals in mind.
“We wanted to see guys go out and execute — to play sound football, stay within our schemes, and stick to their assignments,” he said. “We also wanted to see who could step up and make plays. We were very strategic in how we scripted different calls and situations to put players in positions that would challenge them. That’s how you find out what a kid can and can’t do.”
The Eagles will hope to carry this momentum from the spring game into the regular season as it still has several months of preparation ahead before kick-off in late August.
