LANGLEY — It wasn’t always pretty, but there were lessons learned.

The South Whidbey High School football team played its first scrimmage Saturday morning — the Blue against the White — to see what worked and what didn’t.

Dubbed “The Toilet Bowl,” the game was played from the 40-yard line; points were awarded based on sacks, tackles, yardage gained, key plays and any touchdowns made. For the record, White won 32-26.

But on the very first play, the blue team was called for being offsides. On the second, the running back bobbled the ball. On the third play, the quarterback fired a nifty pass which was promptly dropped by the receiver.

And so it went.

“The point is to add another practice under the guise of a real game, while letting parents and fans get a taste of the great things coming this season,” said Falcon head coach Mark Hodson.

What quickly became clear was that the defense is looking very good, tackling at will anyone even close to the ball during the first several plays.

Suddenly things changed. Running back Austin Bennett broke a tackle for a seven-yard gain, tailback Chandler Thompson and fullback Henry Mead started to find some holes and the offense came alive.

As the players scrambled to get the kinks out, more than 100 folks showed up to watch and join a team lunch.

“We had more people for this scrimmage than showed up for some of our games in the bad old days,” Hodson noted. “The kids liked that.”

It’s amazing what a winning season will do for recruitment and fan support. In 2005, the team won not a single contest, but last year they went 9-2.

The Falcons had 70 players turn out for this year’s squad.

Also clear was that everyone, coaches included, were a touch nervous.

“We’re working out a lot of mistakes, but that’s why we do this,” Mead said.

Fullback Danny Zuver agreed.

“We all have a few butterflies, but it’s better to get it out of the way here, so we can be ready for Friday nights,” he said.

“That’s OK,” Hodson said. “Pre-season jitters are a good thing.”

Roughly 48 student athletes worked hard last spring and summer improving their skills, knowledge and competitive desire. Through spring football and attending the University of Washington Husky football camp, the players’ efforts to improve have carried over into a seamless transition from last fall’s season.

“We were able to compete this summer in scrimmages, and seven-on-seven tournaments, with schools of all sizes and levels like Fife, Bellingham, Oak Harbor, Liberty of Issaquah and Seattle Prep,” said Falcon defensive coordinator Damian Greene.

“The defense is reading the offense much better than last year at this time. We really do have a great group of kids.”

The off-season prep slowly began to assert itself on the field.

Suddenly, Bennett jinked and spun his way into the end zone for six points, the day’s only TD.

“It felt good,” Bennett said coming back to the sidelines. “This has been a really competitive experience for all of us. I’ve noticed everyone is moving faster and hitting harder.”

Assistant coach Rob Anderson felt the same. “They’re hitting well, but they show a lot of good sportsmanship, too. They’ll knock you out then pick you up without any gloating.”

Of course, the coaches wouldn’t be doing their job if they couldn’t spot a few glitches that need fixing.

“Our pacing was too slow,” said offensive coach Andy Davis. “Getting different personnel on and off the field has to be faster. And there were too many missed assignments when they lost focus.”

But he thought the players showed outstanding effort and that’s what he wanted to see.

“Danny [Zuver], Trapper [Rawls], David [Monell], Nicky [Tenuta], Austin and Hunter [Rawls] all showed leadership and played with passion today,” Davis added.

Hodson praised his quarterbacks: Hunter Rawls, TJ Russell, Luke Hodson and Avery Buckner.

“You’re going to see more offensive weapons at the skill positions of quarterback, wide receiver and running back this season,” he said. “Won’t it be fun?”

This Friday, Sept. 5, the Falcons travel to Newport High School for their first game. Their first home stand is 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 at Waterman Field against the Bulldogs from Mount Vernon.