Excelsior Springs varsity football coach Jake Danneman noticed a difference in the Tigers’ speed, confidence and focus during their two days of limited- contact scrimmages last week on their home field.

On July 22, the Tigers scrimmaged against Oak Park, Marshall and Raytown. Even after a few sets of scrimmage reps, they seemed jittery, according to Danneman. He could tell because they were watching plays develop, rather than listening to their coaches.

“We need to be ready to go from the first snap,” he said. Slot receiver/defensive back Lukas Varty, whose contributions included two interceptions during scrimmages with Marshall, agreed.

“It’s really just not being so scared whenever we first come out,” Varty said. “That’s what really gets to us.”

Having the right mindset is key to being calm and ready to play, and starting fast, Varty suggested.

The Tigers looked better on defense than they did on offense, according to Varty.

“We had a couple drops – I had a couple drops,” he said. “Our off…