The Knights looked sharp in their opening competition against Union City as senior quarterback Shawn Pascuzzi hooked up for touchdown passes to seniors Kris Bunk and Camron Jakubczak.

“I was pleased with our returning seniors,” Eisenhower head coach Jim Penley said. “I thought all three of those guys looked sharp.”

While the 7-on-7 is not close to the level of live game action, Penley had expectations for the Knights.

“The biggest thing we wanted to accomplish was seeing some of our new guys run around and compete,” Penley said. “7-on-7 competition is a long way from tackle football, but it does serve as a useful tool for working on the passing game. … It also allows the coaches the opportunity to see the competitive nature and spirit of the new players vying for a starting spot. Have they learned new things? Have they been in the playbook? When they make a mistake, how do they react? Do they hang their head or do they come back the next play and make up for it?”

Eisenhower’s Mason Wonderling defends a pass against the Erie Royals. Times Observer photo by Steve Younger

The Knights have holes to fill as they lost nine seniors from last year’s 11-1 team.

“We were hoping for a couple of our younger players to make some plays and we’re pretty happy with their overall effort,” Penley said. “Ryan Chambers, Logan Penley, Caleb Jakubczak and Jaydon Chase look like they have made great strides in the offseason and are positioning themselves well to be in the running to take an open spot.”

As far as his first look at this year’s team Penley added: “We still have a lot of work to do, as we lost some outstanding ball players, but we do bring back a great nucleus of experience and potential.”

The Knights will begin defending their region title when official practice begins Aug. 7.