Rising senior defensive back Sam Brower had a huge Tuesday morning, intercepting four passes in the three games. The final pick helped the Patriots edge the Scots. The winning points were produced by a late touchdown pass from Aaron Reimer to Dwayne Simpson.

“He did a great job,” Metzger said of Brower. “He really started reading his keys.”

Mini-Clinic on Punting

Rising senior Frankie Painter, who saw a lot of action on both sides of the ball during the passing competition, stayed on the field afterward for some impromptu punting instruction from Maj. Randy Smith of the Third Special Forces Group stationed at Fort Bragg.

Smith says that he played at Auburn under coach Pat Dye when Bo Jackson was there. He went to the training camps of the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers after college as a kicker. He was wearing a Cowboys jersey.

The father of one of the rising Patriot freshmen, who served with Smith in Afghanistan, put him in touch with Metzger.

“I was just showing him some techniques,” Smith said of his time with Painter. “Any kid can come out and just crush the ball. If you can put it where the coach wants it, you can be a tremendous asset to the offense and defense.”

Smith was scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant colonel this week. He will be at Bragg until the end of August, when he goes to NATO in Brussels to become the PsyOps officer (psychological operations).

Castillo Gains Experience

Shagging Painter’s punts was rising sophomore running back Chance Castillo. Two weeks ago he attended a USA football under-15 team program in Austin, Texas, along with Metzger and teammates Ryan Lipomi, Sam Fetla, Noah DeLisle and Carson Maples.

“It was a real good time,” Castillo said. “I got to meet people from America Samoa, Canada and other teams. I learned a lot.”

Metzger to Speak at Youth Summit

Nearly 200 high school and youth coaches are expected to attend the event in Canton, Ohio, which includes a reception at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I’ll be talking about program leadership,” the coach said. “I think our program does an unbelievable job with program leadership. The opportunity is truly a product of our kids, administration and community.”

Official Football Practice Nears

The football team will hold a sleepover at James Moore Gym on Monday. Next week’s workouts will be the final ones before the first official practices begin on Monday, July 30.

The Patriots open the season at Jack Britt on Aug. 17.

“The kids will basically have 11 days off to go on vacation and relax,” Metzger said. “We’re going to have a down time, which we feel is very important.”