BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Lee-Scott Academy’s football team got its first taste of a game-day atmosphere on Friday, Aug. 14, holding an intra-squad scrimmage.
That scrimmage also doubled as the debut of a renovated Jud Scott Field, which is now outfitted with a new scoreboard, artificial turf and a range of improved amenities.
Interim head coach Jacob Ozment described the event as a “play the game” scrimmage — a controlled, simulated format rather than a traditional red-versus-blue or Lee-versus-Scott matchup some fans may be accustomed to.
Rather than splitting into two full squads, the Warriors gave their major special teams units live looks, ran scripted offensive and defensive series and worked on specific football situations throughout the event.
“It was more about giving our players live looks than anything,” Ozment said, explaining that the goal was to generate realistic, game-like film the staff could study heading into the season. “I wouldn’t say it was something that you would consider to be like Auburn University’s A-Day.”
At one point Ozment said he intentionally pinned his offense deep at its own 10 yard line to force a tight punt, one of several situational “handcuffs” as he called them built into the day.
Because the roster is still sharing players across all three phases, the scrimmage stopped short of the kind of formal setup — which often involves pairing the first-team offense and second-team defense against the first-team defense and second-team offense — many larger programs use.
Ozment said the team’s depth charts remain fluid without game film to lean on, so the staff rotated anticipated starters while getting as many quality looks as possible on both sides of the ball.
Beyond football, the day was also designed to eliminate first-game distractions.
Ozment invited Lee-Scott’s marching band, cheerleaders and families to experience the new field alongside the team, letting players hear the music, see the lights and adjust to a loud environment before the home opener.
The staff even ran a series using only signals against a blaring sound system to test team communication when there’s plenty of noise.
The renovation project came together on a tight timeline, and Ozment credited the Warriors’ administration, the field project manager and Baseline Sports Construction for getting the team on the surface before its first home game.
However, what pleased Ozment the most was the consistency his squad has shown since summer workouts began.
“The guys that we started with in June, the effort they’ve been giving us in June, was the same effort we saw this past Friday,” Ozment said.
Despite heavy humidity following an afternoon full of storms, Ozment said his players handled the heat, the distractions and the moment well.
He added that they rallied to the football, protected it and played fast and physical to the level he hoped to see.
The scrimmage also marked Ozment’s first game-like experience since taking over the program, a move he said became clear around the first week of July.
He praised offensive coordinator Rick Wade and defensive coordinator Erik Speakman for buying into the staff’s organizational approach, though he acknowledged a live opponent will present challenges the controlled setting could not.
Now, the Warriors turn to a Week 1 home opener against bitter rivals Glenwood School to kick the 2026 season off.
With that game against the Gators looming, Ozment said he’s kept his message he’s delivered to his players simple and, admittedly, radically transparent.
“It’s your first game and the goal is to be in the 50% of teams this week that start the season 1-0,” Ozment said about the message he told his players. “You’ve got essentially a brand-new field to play on with all of the extras. But at the end of the day, it’s our 11 against their 11, and it’s still football. It just so happens to be our rivals. We need to have the focus to just do whatever is necessary on each individual play.”
Lee-Scott will host Glenwood on Friday, Aug. 21, at Jud Scott Field at 7 p.m. The Gators defeated the Warriors 20-7 last year, also in Auburn.
