Carlisle sophomore quarterback Fernando Espinoza (1) prepares to pass against Bishop Gorman during a scrimmage on Thursday at McCallum Stadium in Tyler.

After a couple of weeks of practice, plus a scrimmage, Carlisle football coach Clay Baker is upbeat.

He said the Indians had a good outing in their scrimmage with Bishop Gorman on Thursday at McCallum Stadium in Tyler.

“Overall, I was pleased with the guys’ effort,” Baker said.

Baker gave his team three areas to concentrate on during the scrimmage.

“There were three things we really wanted to focus on for this first scrimmage — fast, physical and effort — and I think the guys did all of those very well,” said Baker, who is beginning his fourth year as head coach of the Indians. “Obviously we saw some things on video that we can correct, but they weren’t effort mistakes so we can live with that.

“I think it was a good starting point for us, and showed us that we have some good competitions at certain positions.”

Baker, who has led Carlisle to three playoff appearances with a three-year record of 27-10, said he enjoyed seeing his team going up against another squad. His 2018 team won the district championship.

“It was nice to finally get back out there in some live action against somebody else, and create a little more excitement with the players and coaches for this next week,” Baker said.

The Indians have a mixture of youth and veteran leadership for 2021.

Back is standout Joel Fraser, who plays offensive line and is a star on defense. The linebacker led Carlisle with 113 tackles and 10 tackles for loss a year ago.

Set to lead the offense, among others, is sophomore quarterback Fernando Espinoza, along with running backs David DeLeon (sophomore) and Luis Reyes (senior), and sophomore wide receiver Clayton Hart.

Also back is all-around athlete Aaron Gallegos, a senior who plays running back, cornerback and handles kicking duties. Gallegos is a three-time all-stater.

Along with Fraser, others up front on the offensive line include juniors Alan Rocha, Mario Sainz and Angel Garza.

Some new blood to the varsity is freshman Zeshaun Reed, who plays defensive back and wide receiver.

The Indians are scheduled to scrimmage at Grapeland on Thursday, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Carlisle will be competing in District 9-2A Division I, along with Beckville, Hawkins, Frankston, Union Grove, Linden-Kildare and Big Sandy.

The Indians are scheduled to open the season on Aug. 27 by hosting Palestine Westwood at Arrowhead Stadium in Price. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.