Comets show promise during preseason football scrimmage against Cadets

Charles City senior Kayden Kasemeier (No. 1) breaks to the outside while following the block of junior Deacon Caspers (No. 33) during Friday’s controlled scrimmage against Crestwood.
By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
CRESCO — Well before Comet running back Deacon Caspers even touched the ball during last Friday’s controlled scrimmage against Crestwood, he had already made an impression.
New to Charles City’s varsity roster this season, Caspers is a sophomore who has already attained the size (5-foot-11, 190 lbs.) of a varsity backfield/linebacker football player.
With Charles City’s varsity offensive unit squaring off against Crestwood’s varsity defense during the first half of the scrimmage, Caspers was used primarily as a blocking back while “blowing up” several Cadet defenders and helping teammates like senior Kayden Kasemeier — who scored a 30-yard catch-and-run touchdown during the first snap of the scrimmage — find and utilize space while carrying the ball.
But when the Comets started feeding Caspers the ball after intermission, he took full advantage of several well-placed blocks by his teammates, bursting through holes in the middle of the line like he was shot through a cannon en route to major ground gains.
It’s a beautiful thing to watch young, opportune running backs aggressively hit open holes and gaps without fear of any Jack Tatum types who might be prowling in the neighborhood.
(It’s always a question of how these young running backs will respond when these open holes start hitting them back.)
The scrimmage consisted of a variety of varsity, junior varsity and freshman team sets and situations.
There were short-field 10-play sessions starting at the defender’s 30-yard line, and long-field 10-play sessions starting at the offender’s 30-yard line.
There were limitations placed on blitzes; placekickers were allowed to attempt extra-points after TDs with only the snapper and holder included in the play; and there were several non-contact kickoff return/coverage drills where the opposing special teams either ran downfield to chase down the ball or marked and impeded the lanes of fast-approaching defenders.
No score was kept during any of the sessions between the two former district foes who won’t face each other during the forthcoming season. On a competitive level, both teams appeared rather even with each producing several crowd-rousing moments.
Charles City didn’t have all of its returning key players activated for the scrimmage as some didn’t participate in enough practices while donning equipment pads.
The Comets are due to get those guys back, and maybe even promote several upstarts from the lower levels to varsity if they’re not careful.
During “Football Night in Charles City”, the first major fundraiser for the Comet Gridiron that featured UNI head coach Mark Farley as the keynote speaker — note: former Comet standout Ian Collins now plays for Farley and the Panthers — then eighth-grader Cameron Littleton was one of those tasked to also talk at the well-attended event at the Knights of Columbus hall. During his speech, Cameron made a dig at his older brother Kaden Littleton, who was recovering from a broken leg sustained during a junior varsity game several days after scoring a late touchdown in a varsity game against Independence — much needed for the Comets, who were in danger of being shut out for the fourth game in a row.
Kaden apparently has no hard feelings about being roasted publicly by his younger brother, and he appears to have recovered from his injury enough to run up and down the field in paramount joy after Cameron made a pair of touchdown catches in the end zone while out jumping his opponent and snaring the ball at its highest catchable peak.
“That’s my brother! That’s my brother!” Kaden announced to the whole stadium.
“Calm down,” a teammate said. “It’s just a freshman scrimmage.”
“Yeah, but you watch, he’s going to be on varsity.”
Charles City will open the season on the road at Oelwein this Friday.
Social Share