The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

KIRKSVILLE -- The Truman Football team concluded their spring drills on Saturday with the annual Purple & White game at Stokes Stadium. Donald Harvey scored twice as purple won 17-0 in the 80-play scrimmage.

Harvey's (Richmond, Texas, Ft. Bend Bush HS) first score was the game’s biggest play as he caught a pass from transfer quarterback J.B. Clark (Jupiter, Fla. Lehigh University) and scampered 67 yards to the endzone for the score. Clark was patient in the pocket as he was under duress and delivered the strike to Harvey coming out of the back field who beat the covering linebacker to the ball.

The senior scored again from one-yard out after sophomore Conrad Schottel (Kearney, Mo., Kearney) found senior Harnish Ayora (Casa Grande, Ariz., Casa Grande Union) for a 32-yard pass play down to the one-yard line.

Sophomore Brian Rosser (Des Peres, Mo., Kirkwood) concluded the scoring with a 45-yard field goal.

“I thought we had a very even scrimmage today,” said Coach Gregg Nesbitt, who is entering his second season at the helm of the ‘Dogs. “There were some bright spots offensively, especially with Clark and some good plays on the defensive side with Richie Schumacher (Crystal Lake, Ill., Crystal Lake South).  J.B. had an excellent spring and has been as good as advertised since transferring from Division I Lehigh (Pa.). Conrad (Schottel) and Taylor Breen  (Hamilton, Ohio, Lakota West) also had an excellent spring camp so I have no worries about the signal calling position.”

“The strength of our club coming out of spring drills is our defensively secondary. While we knew going in our offensive line would be young but they made great stride and are starting to come together as a unit,” added Nesbitt.

The Bulldogs will be back at Stokes Stadium in early August for the start of two-a-days and will open up the 2011 season at home against rival Northwest Missouri on a Thursday Night (Sept. 1st) in the annual “Old Hickory Stick” game.

(Courtesy Truman State Athletics Department)