I took my final stop on this training camp tour at the home of the defending state champion Stone Bridge Bulldogs. It was just a simple walkthrough for the Bulldogs, as they scrimmage tonight against Woodbridge, but here are some of the things I picked up at practice:

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Stone Bridge has a huge target on its back as the defending champs, and it's no easy job repeating. It'll be interesting to see whether a team as talented as this has any lapses in energy level. Teams that are very talented tend to sometimes turn it on and off, and with no real soft opponents early on, Stone Bridge can't afford to do that – especially now without starting QB Patrick Thompson. I'll be keeping my eye on the Bulldogs engine in that first game against West Springfield as well, of course, as the play of Nick Sheehan or Kyle Gouveia at quarterback. To me the biggest question is going to be, can the Bulldogs do it again or will the on-off switch flip down at the wrong time against the wrong team?

OTHER NOTES

--- With Patrick Thompson out for the next 4-6 weeks with the ruptured tendon in his throwing hand, the job behind center will go to either Nick Sheehan or Kyle Gouveia, with Daniel Allen also possibly taking snaps. All three handled the duties in the walk through, and I think the Bulldogs will be okay for now while Thompson recovers. In the meantime, an interesting bit of news is that Patrick Thompson will likely see some time at linebacker while his finger heals. The finger will be fitted for a splint and Thompson, who is being recruited as a possible greyshirt linebacker for one D-I program, will be able to hit the defensive side of the field, Coach Mickey Thompson said, so that's something to look forward to.

--- I really like Sheehan as a wide receiver this year for the Bulldogs, and so does Coach Thompson. We'll have more on this in the preview tomorrow, but Sheehan and fellow Valley transfer Matt Custer are two pleasant surprises Coach Thompson pointed out and I was impressed by Sheehan's size and athleticism in the little bit I got to see of it during the walk through.

--- This defensive front seven is going to be an absolute beast this season. With David Wang (Virginia Tech), Zach Thompson (Wake Forest) and Brian Slay (N.C. State) joining Jimmy Bradford – who is too often overlooked – on the line and a huge, athletic linebacker in 6-4, 215 pound Mike Olson (who I think may project the best at the next level looking at his frame and room for more growth), I don’t know of many teams that will be able to run on the Bulldogs.

--- Former Bulldog Mike Stancik was in attendance at practice yesterday. Stancik is headed down to Longwood, where he will play baseball, but he stopped in and observed the practice and talked about how much he missed it.

--- Keep an eye on Daniel Allen at DB, where he is hoping to get recruited, and Daré Ewetusa on the opposite side, who has impressed coaches this summer.

And today's question: