On a hot, humid day in 93 degree weather, the Bulloch Academy Gators hosted their second 7-on-7 passing scrimmage (their first at Gator Alley) of the 2015 summer league schedule Thursday afternoon.
    East Laurens, Jenkins County and Bulloch Academy competed on Thursday. The Gators split into two squads in order to increase the amount of conditioning for the entire team, said BA head coach Terence Hennessy.
    “Those guys are dying right now,” laughed Hennessy during one of the scheduled five-minute breaks Thursday. “We split our team pretty evenly so that no one would have to be taking a break. It's good for our conditioning.”
    The scrimmage began at 6 p.m., with each team competing on offense and defense three times in 12-minute sessions.
    Hennessy said his team performed well in the 7-on-7 scrimmage. Last week, the Gators competed against Edmund Burke Academy, Jenkins County and Briarwood Academy.
    “This just gets your timing down and this is something most coaches do to get competition in the summer. We don’t keep score, but I felt like we got done what we needed to get done,” Hennessy said. “This isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about getting better. I felt like last week our guys did well and today we’ve done well.”
    When it comes to the quarterback position, Hennessy said he his team focused on making the correct reads. He also said he wanted his players to adjust to the defense and change routes if necessary.
    “I told my quarterbacks, ‘I don’t care if they drop it, if the quarterbacks make the right read we’re in pretty good shape,’ Hennessy said. “We have about seven or eight route combinations we like to run so (the defense) doesn’t get comfortable. We have to change it up because the defense is going to change it up once we beat them a couple of times.”
    Last year’s starting quarterback Lanier Olliff said participating in 7-on-7 competitions helps build a relationship with his team and receivers.
    Olliff looked particularly sharp Thursday, hitting deep routes to open receivers on multiple occasions. He is expected to be the starting quarterback for the 2015 season.
    “We’re just trying to figure out who is going to go out there and win balls for us and not quit on us,” Olliff said. “We just want to come out here and learn the playbook and play hard.
“We have a bunch of new guys this year and we’re trying to get our timing routes down.”
    The Gators have another 7-on-7 competition scheduled for July 23.

    Horace Holloman may be reached at (912) 489-9408.