The Chester County Eagles opened their summer 7-on-7 schedule Thursday morning with a competitive, evenly matched scrimmage against Jackson Central-Merry, giving head coach Dewond Johnson plenty of positives to take away as preparations for the 2026 season continue.
The scrimmage marked the first of four scheduled 7-on-7 competitions before the TSSAA dead period begins June 22 and runs through July 5.
While the final score wasn’t important, Johnson said he wanted to see his team compete from start to finish.
“I told them I didn’t care what the score was,” Johnson said after the scrimmage. “I wanted to see them compete, and they did a great job competing today. We knocked balls down and did a lot of good things, and our kids were very coachable.”
The Eagles battled throughout the morning in a fast-paced contest that remained close throughout, with both teams making plays on both sides of the ball. Chester County’s defense showed improvement in coverage while the offense continued building chemistry heading into the summer schedule.
Following the scrimmage, Johnson praised his team’s physicality but reminded his players that there is still work to do.
“The biggest thing I was excited about on both sides of the ball was that we played physical,” Johnson told the team. “That wins football games.”
Chester County returned to action Monday, June 8, when the Eagles would host Riverside in their second 7-on-7 event of the summer. They will then travel to Bolivar on June 11 before hosting Bolivar on June 16 to wrap up their summer schedule before the TSSAA dead period.
Johnson said his message to the team moving forward is simple.
“If we can compete every snap, we’ll be fine.”
