The Halifax County High School varsity and junior varsity football teams will face their final pre-season test Thursday night with a scrimmage against Colonial Heights High School.

Thursdays action at Tuck Dillard Memorial Stadium starts with a JV scrimmage at 5 p.m. followed by the varsity scrimmage at 6 p.m.

Both Comets teams were successful in their respective opening pre-season tests Friday night, with the varsity squad topping Buckingham County High School 34-14 in the annual Virginia High School League Benefit Game and the JV team outscoring Buckingham County High School four touchdowns to none in its scrimmage.

Thursdays scrimmage against Colonial Heights will be a different kind of test for the Comets varsity squad in terms of preparation, format and the level and style of the competition.

As far as preparation goes, it is quite a bit different because it cuts a day of preparation out in your normal routine, so everything is off kilter, explained Comets Head Coach Grayson Throckmorton.

Youre scrimmaging on a night you are not accustomed. You have to adjust your practice plans and your overall mindset. In the NFL, it doesnt make much difference. In college, it doesnt make much difference. With high school, it makes a lot of difference because the kids cant adjust as well as those seasoned veterans can.

Its just something weve got to do out of necessity, Throckmorton added.

The Comets are expected to see the level of the competition ramp up Thursday night when they face the Richmond-area school.

As far as team size, the number of players and the number of students in the school, Buckingham County and Colonial Heights are about the same, Throckmorton noted.

But, Colonial Heights competes in a much larger district, and they compete against the likes of Thomas Dale, Dinwiddie, Meadowbrook, Matoaca, and the list goes on. When they get into the (post-season) playoffs, they compete at the Division 3 level, but they compete mostly against Division 5 and Division 6 teams during the regular season. So, just with regard to the level of the competition they are used to competing against, Colonial Heights is going to be a better squad.

Colonial Heights, Throckmorton said, will play a different style of offense than his team saw Friday night with Buckingham County High School.

They (Colonial Heights High School) are a true spread team which we havent seen yet, explained Throckmorton.

They are going to be looking to throw the ball out in the perimeter and try to screen on us with wide receiver screens and screens in the backfield. They will be looking to use their passing game as an advantage, which is going to be good for us.

The result, Throckmorton says, is that the Comets defense will be stretched more and better play will be needed in the defensive secondary.

Were not going to be able to play as run heavy as we did Friday night, he pointed out.

Were going to have to play more 50-50 versus the run and the pass, where the other night we were playing 80 percent run and 20 percent pass. Were going to have to be more evenly balanced Thursday night.

Throckmorton and the Comets kept everything very simple in Friday nights contest against Buckingham County High School. The Comets Head Coach says he plans to expand a few things Thursday night.

Offensively, we are going to add a little more offense in, some stuff we have been working on that we didnt use and a couple of things that are brand new, Throckmorton pointed out.

Defensively, were going to add a few stunts in that we didnt use the other night. We didnt use any stunts Friday night and we are going to add some of that in on defense.

Thursday night is also going to offer Throckmorton and his coaching staff another opportunity to evaluate personnel.

We are going to continue to look at personnel, Throckmorton pointed out, and see who can play what positions and who can play what and where in the future to help us. We have a real good idea of who is where now. Where before there were some bigger adjustments the last week and a half, now its a matter of one or two (players) here and there.

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Comets face final test Thursday - YourGV.com