MILFORD When Delaware's football players first heard they were scrimmaging in Milford, Travis Tirrell might have been the only one who actually knew where they were going.
A walkon defensive lineman from Millsboro, the Delmarva Christian High grad is no stranger to downstate Delaware.
"I've never heard of a big college coming down and putting on a show for lower Delaware," he said. "A lot of times we get forgotten down here. It's nice that we can come down here and give back to the community.
"It's refreshing to come Nike Air Jordan 12 down here, honestly," Tirrell added. "It's nice to get out of the city and just see the trees and fields."
For the several hundred fans who came out to Milford High's Briggs Stadium on Saturday for the firsttime event, it was a chance to not only see the Blue Hens downstate but to meet new coach Dave Brock.
Brock and his almostentirely new staff walked through the parking lot before the scrimmage, shaking hands with tailgaters. He then huddled up with the SmyrnaClayton Pop Warner Eagles on the field.
The Eagles got to run some plays against Delaware's defense, which somehow managed to miss every tackle as a pair of SmyrnaClayton players ran for touchdowns.
"That was very cool," said Jason Fretz, one of SmyrnaClayton's coaches. "The kids enjoyed it. They were very excited about it. It was a great experience them coming downstate here."
It wasn't all about the new, though. Hall of Fame coach Tubby Raymond brought his grandson while longtime supporter Ruly Carpenter Nike Air Jordan 28 XX8 was on hand.
A number of former Delaware players who live in the area also came out. School president Patrick Harker made the trip south, as well.
"It just shows you the support the program has," said Brock. "The opportunity to come down here in front of all these folks was terriffic. I'm really, really excited we did it.
"I've been all over the state and I've talked to a lot of people. My impression is that people love Delaware football and they're passionate about Delaware football. This was more an opportunity to show the folks down here that, hey, we really appreciate the fact that they do it drive up there seven times a year just for football."
As for the football itself, the Hens looked like like a team that was in its eighth spring practice session under a new coaching staff. It doesn't help that Delaware currently has about 15 players sidelined for various medical issues.
At times, the gusty wind played havoc with passes thrown by quarterbacks Trevor Sasek and Justin Burns. A number Nike Air Jordan 6 of balls went through receivers' hands, though.
"We had some guys make some plays, which is encouraging," said Brock. "We dropped too many passes, we missed some tackles. We're nowhere near as physical a football team as we're going to be. . But I was pleased with the effort, the energy."
One thing that was clear, even just watching drills, is that the Hens are going to hustle on the field. They ran hard from one station to the next.
The players learned quickly that that's the way their new coaches want it.
"It was demanded that we do it before but not at such a high tempo," said senior Rob Jones. "The pace is a lot more picked up. We're just getting used to the pace. Pretty soon we're all going to be track stars."
A fifthyear senior, Jones is still a Blue Hen because he missed most of last season with a leg injury.
"It feels great to be back out here with my brothers," he said. "Everybody's trying to get acquainted with the new coaches, the new playbook."
Middle linebacker Eric Patton was another Delaware player just happy to be back in a helmet and shoulder pads. The former St. Elizabeth High star, who was the state Defensive Player of the Year two years ago, sat out last fall.
"I missed hitting people the most," Patton said with a smile. "It seems like it took forever for me to start playing again. I really love being back. The first running practice, I was dying. But I got back to it."
"Eric is a work in progress," said Brock, using one of his favorite phrases right now. "It's his eighth practice, period. He's got as much experience with Delaware football as I do. And he's a freshman to boot.
"Am I excited about him? Sure. But time will tell on him. He's got a lot of work to do. . But he's working at it. All I can ask is that he shows up every day, does what he's supposed to do and competes."
Three Delaware offensive players have been moved to cornerback. That group includes, Jordan Thomas, a Rutgers transfer, Simba Gwashavanhu and Mark Doe. "We're not going to have our 26thbest player be the fifth wideout," said Brock. "We're not to going to have our 23rdbest player be the fifth corner. We're going to find a way to get guys on the field, whether it's on offense or defense." . The Hens are looking for a new punter after the graduation of twoyear starter Rauley Zaragoza. Redshirt freshman Eric Enderson handled the job with mixed results on Saturday. . on May 4 in Delaware Stadium.
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