Four weeks of spring practice will come to an end this Saturday with the annual Red-White intra-squad spring game at Huskie Stadium.

Scheduled to kickoff at 2 p.m., the game will pit Team DeKalb (White), coached by defensive coordinator Tim McGuire, and Team Sycamore (Red), headed by offensive coordinator Mike Summers.

The series is tied at 1-1, with DeKalb winning 24-17 in 1988 and Sycamore by a 13-9 margin at last year’s meeting.

Both coaches look to the game as a chance to relax and enjoy the game while evaluating their squads, while quaterback coach Jay Schaake and defensive line coach Sheldon Herd making the play calls for the offense and defense, respectively.

“Myself, I’m just going to cheerlead and kind of razz the guys on the other team, be kind of a bench jockey,” McGuire said. “I’ll just have a good time and enjoy the game.”

“We’ve come to the end of 20 practices and now it’s time for fun,” Summers said. “It’s a break for me and a litle more enjoyable from a spectator standpoint. It gives me an opportunity to evaluate the guys. It’ll be more of a relaxed game, not as intense from an execution standpoint as our four previous scrimmages. We’re just trying to have fun.”

McGuire has worked this spring to replace the four starters from last year’s squad that left, without forgetting the returners.

“Sure, we’ve got holes to fill, but the starters coming back have to get better, too,” he said. “If those seven starters coming back didn’t get any better, we’re not going to be an improved football team.”

McGuire named Earl Upton, James Randall, Nick Jones and Kevin Cassidy as some of the guys who have improved, while giving special mention to sophomore tackle Rob Wagner, who was named the defensive most improved player.

On the offensive side of the line, Summers was impressed with Mike Westrick, who moved from center to guard to fill in for the only offensive starter lost, Joe Gucwa. Westrick was named the offensive most improved player.

“I also want to mention Rob Rugai, who’s done an outstanding job as a backup, and now will be the first team quarterback,” Summers said of the White’s quarterback.

Freshman Tyrone Leverett will start for the Red squad.

Summers doesn’t look to the game as a true indication of the offense that will take the field in the fall.

“We established what we wanted to accomplish during the four weeks (of practice),” he said. “We’re not going to be as sharp because we’re split, so I’m not necessarily looking for us to run up and down the field, but I’m looking for enthusiasm and effort.”

Coming into spring drills, Summers was concerned with continuing last year’s success.

“The thing we were most concerned with coming in, was that we stayed hungry as an offense,” he said. “I think the effort in practice has shown that.”

He doesn’t look for the offense to jump right into stride come fall.

“To get to the point where we were last year is going to take some time,” he said. “We won’t be a great offense until the middle of the season next year. It’s going to take that amount of time to get our timing and executon to come along. But I do think we’re starting out at higher level than we ever have before.”

McGuire summed up the game as “hard-nosed, rock’em, sock’em football.”

“It’ll be competitive and it’ll be good because everybody has some pride and doesn’t want to lose to the other guys,” he said.