By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

LAGRANGE – It’s not a finished product, but LaGrange High coach Frank Caputo likes what he sees.

Caputo is in his first season on the LaGrange staff, and he is serving as the offensive coordinator.

On Friday, Caputo got an opportunity to see his men in action during an eight-team camp that was held at Callaway Stadium and LaGrange College.

It was a combination of seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 scrimmages, and LaGrange took turns sharing the field with seven other teams.

The Grangers ended the day in fine style, with Trez Delaney scoring on a long touchdown run, and the senior also had a scoring catch earlier in the day.

Keeping a close eye on everything was Caputo, who is pleased with the development the players have made throughout the spring and summer.

“We’ve got a lot of potential,” Caputo said. “But with potential, that’s the point Vince Dooley made, it means you haven’t done anything yet. But we’re actually starting to do a few good things, and the kids are starting to trust each other, and trust us. It’s getting to be a lot of fun, and very pleasurable to be coaching them.”

When LaGrange head coach Dialleo Burks put the camp together, there were 12 teams committed.

By the time Friday came around, only eight teams were able to participate, but that still made for a busy day.

An offense or defense would be on the field for seven or eight plays before going to the sideline for a quick break.

The format allowed each team to get a whole bunch of game time against a wide variety of teams.

“We started out with 12 schools, and when it was all said and done we had eight,” Burks said. “A lot of the coaches gave us a lot of positive feedback. They loved it. It’s just all about making sure everything was on point.”

Burks said Caputo and quarterbacks’ coach Dustin Ward were both instrumental in helping everything run smoothly.

“Coach Ward really helped me out,” Burks said. “He and Frank did all the getting it together.”

For the Grangers, sophomore Charles Crawford took the majority of the snaps during the seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 scrimmages.

Crawford moved well and made some nice throws, including one to Delaney for about a 30-yard touchdown.

“He’s been doing well,” Ward said. “He’s starting to get comfortable. He knows what to do now. It’s a matter of reps, and him staying confident.”

A strength of LaGrange’s offense figures to be the running game, with the trio of Cornell Kendrick, Myles Johnson and Delaney leading the way, and all three players had their moments to shine on Friday.

Kendrick, a senior, is a bruising runner who will be a big part of the Grangers’ offense.

“I’m really proud of Cornell Kendrick,” Ward said. “He’s had a great summer.”

Junior wide receivers Koby Patton and Javary Thomas made some plays in the passing game.

Caputo said everyone, including the likely starting quarterback in Crawford, is progressing nicely.

“He’s starting to pick it up, because he wasn’t here during the spring because of baseball,” Caputo said of Crawford. “And even the young guys are starting to pick it up.

“It’s a lot of fun to see these guys progress and grow. It’s so pleasurable for me to be able to do that, and have the interactions with the kids and see them smiling as opposed to frowning.”

The Grangers wrap up their summer schedule next week, and they’ll be busy.

The Grangers will have two camps, one at Shaw and one at Manchester, and they’ll also hold their annual Iron Man competition at the school.