After a 2009 campaign that saw the Goshen Eagles finish second in their area and make a trip to the second round of the AHSAA state playoffs, expectations for the 2010 GHS squad are high.

The Eagles have been working on fulfilling those expectations during the month of May through spring practice, which culminated with the Eagles’ G-Day spring scrimmage Friday at The Eagle’s Nest.

Goshen was spilt into purple and white squads, with the white team coming up with a 26-20 victory.

While the white team picked up the win, head coach Bart Snyder said the game was more about evaluation than winning.

“We saw some good points out here today, for sure,” Snyder said. “Our running backs all played well even though we had some gaps to fill along the offensive line. We have guys playing there who have never played before, but we have a lot to build on there because we saw some good play from those guys today.”

Reginald Foster scored three times for the white team, while Marcus Jackson and Brandon Alford both scored for the purple team. Aaron Bryan threw two touchdown passes for the purple, while Jerome Lawrence played quarterback for the white.

“Jerome Lawrence and Aaron Bryan both saw a lot of action in the spring and they both played a lot today, so we feel like we have a lot of depth at quarterback,” Snyder said.

“Jerome will more than likely be the guy, and we’ll use Aaron at wide receiver, but we’ll put Aaron at quarterback in certain sets, which is something we’ll try to do at a lot of different positions.”

Goshen’s depth at quarterback will be supplemented by what Snyder called improved play from the receiving corps.

“Our receiving corps was very impressive throughout the spring,” Snyder said. “They really went up and caught the ball instead of waiting for it come to them.”

Snyder also said the team is seeing plenty of good leadership skills from some of its veteran players.

“We’ve had some great leadership from guys like John Bean, Jeffrey and Dustin Long, Marcus Coleman, Reginald Foster, Brandon Alford and Marcus Jackson,” Snyder said.

Another aspect of the 2010 team that has been showcased throughout the spring is the depth the Eagles have.

Goshen had 58 players who will be eighth graders or older in the fall, a level of depth Snyder said was unprecedented.

With the spring now behind them, the Eagles will now have all summer to prepare for the 2010 season.

“We’ve still got some packages to put in on defense, and we’ve got to work on our passing game a little bit more, but the main thing we’ve got to do is just come together as an overall team unit,” Snyder said.

Goshen will return to the gridiron Friday, August 20 when it travels to Ariton for a preseason jamboree game against the Purple Cats.