Linden’s Thursday evening visit to Leroy for a 7-on-7 competition produced a 2-2-1 record and some confidence in Patriot players.

“We had some young guys who stepped up and played well,” Linden High head coach Andro Williams said.

The Patriots opened the afternoon with a narrow loss to Demopolis before playing to a scoreless tie with Thomasville. Linden lost to Millry but defeated Leroy and Citronelle.

“It was the last game and we raised the bar against those guys,” Williams said of his team’s effort against Citronelle.

Despite losing jack-of-all-trades junior Gerald Bruno to injury in the first scrimmage of the day, Williams’ squad remained competitive thanks, in part, to the emergence of freshman Anthony Robinson Jr.

“He picked his business up,” Willaims said of the young quarterback and defensive back. “He played better defensively. He played well offensively.”

Williams also said that senior receiver and safety Larente Taylor had a strong showing on the day.

“He made some plays,” Williams said of Taylor.

While such events make it difficult for Linden — a run-based offense — to assess where it stands, Williams explained that the competition in Leroy allowed him to see on what his team must focus.

“We need to build depth on the defensive side of the ball,” Williams said.

“Defense is probably where we could get a little bit more out of these competitions.

“The main thing is trying to become mentally tough,” he said. “We’ve got to get those kids on the same page and get them ready to battle.”

Williams stated that he was pleased with his squad’s overall performance.

“I was pleased with some of the kids that stepped up,” he said. “We’ve got to build some depth and have some guys step up offensively and defensively.”