Sports : Blowout: Viking football players prepare; other teams introduced

A defender brings down a Viking runner.

QB Chase Overton throws a pass during the annual VS Blowout; the season starts Friday at Benton.

Block like this: A ref tells Viking blockers how to avoid holding penalties.

Coach Womochil reviews the scrimmage with Viking varsity players after the Friday Blowout event.

The Vikings will play at Benton on Friday.

In just four days, the Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings get their first test of the Coach Jim Womochil era when they travel to Van Horne for the traditional V-S/Benton Community season opener. 

The Vikings prepared for this contest during a scrimmage during the Friday night Blowout. In addition to seeing all of the high school players scrimmage on the field, the audience also met the members of the other fall VSHS sports teams, including cross country, volleyball and swimming. 

Admission was a bottle of sports drink, which will be used by players throughout the season. 

After the scrimmages, Coach Womochil spoke to the players about the need for execution.He told them that when they gather for the Saturday morning video review that they will see proof of when they executed well, and when they didn't.

"The film never lies," he said. 

Also, the players heard some advice from a referee about properly setting up before a play begins. They also received direction on proper blocking techniques to avoid being flagged for holding.