BENICIA QUARTERBACK Riley Pitkin gets ready to roll out during Saturday’s scrimmage.

Benicia High’s varsity football team looked pretty impressive during a four-team scrimmage at Drolette Stadium last Saturday night.

The Panther offense was able to move the ball consistently against defenses from Bethel, Novato and Vintage high schools, and the defense swarmed to the ball, giving head coach Craig Holden a good feeling heading into this Friday’s season opener at home against Concord.

“I was impressed by the way we came out and played,” Holden said. “We obviously have things to work on, but I saw the core nucleus of what looks like a good offense. We have some new pieces we’re putting in place to have some success this year.”

Receiver Jason Shelley torched opposing defenses for half-a-dozen touchdowns on the night, and running backs Alex Osterholt and Kyle Hanson-Regalado ran superbly behind a solid offensive line. Lineman Justin Badger and safety Devin Holden stood out on defense.

“We were about as vanilla as we could get,” coach Holden said. “We didn’t run everything we have because we don’t want to show other people.

“The defense was a group effort for the most part. We got five or six helmets on the ball carriers and I thought that was nice. Justin Badger had a lot of energy all night and made a lot of plays. We didn’t have a lot of breakdowns.”

Lineman Will Portello suffered a twisted ankle, but other than that, the Panthers came away from the scrimmage relatively unscathed.

“We got out of there without any significant injuries, so that alone makes it a success,” Holden said.

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