No one to talk football with early today so I will ramble with the usual super speed, long winded typing. It's why I prefer forums for HS football.
Seemingly I am in three different discussions about using the so-called "antiquated" Wing-T offensive formation that both Alco and FH utilize. It only comes up when FH struggles or loses (which means rarely).
I am going to share a conversation I had last Saturday on my way to the Terps football game with the head coach for Bishop McNamara. The past month I have been trying to help him (and some other teams) pick up last minute games to fill their open holes. I don't mind, it helps to build scheduling relationships. In our conversation I finally broke down and asked what it would take for McNamara to play FH the next two seasons with a home-away deal. After all, private schools like his are now traveling 5-7 hours to play games and Cumberland is only about 2 hours away. And bear in mind, McNamara is in a league that has to play DeMatha, St. John's, Gonzaga, etc.
He paused for about 3 seconds and this was his reply straight up, "Man, y'all still run that Wing-T up there? Look, we play that game and our kids are not going to get the stats they need. They are going to get banged up. Y'all will run the ball and deflate the clock and limit what we can do. On top of that we may get beat like everyone else.". My reply to him jokingly was, "Yea, we don't play 7 on 7 up here in the fall. We rely on running the ball and physicality." He laughed and said, "You're right! and my kids don't see that."
To me, that is a massive advantage for FH instead of doing what everyone else does. As if you can't throw the ball out of the Wing-T if you so desire (keep reading).
There are always disgruntled locals who always gripe about Alco/FH using the Wing-T. That it doesn't get kids D1 scholarships. What those people do not understand, because shotgun and 4-5 receiver sets are all they see, is that this is not a Wing-T situation. In 88+ years of Alco/FH football they have run the I-formation, the split backfield, the Triple I, the veer, the fullhouse, etc.
IT'S NOT THE FORMATION. It's the philosophy of running the ball and being physical about it. Much like the Michigan team who won the national championship last season.
Opposing teams today hate physical football (not all obviously, but most). They don't see physical running games all year. They don't run it. Their opponents don't run it. They don't practice it or have to practice against it (until they play FH). The high school football world has turned into a mass 7 on 7 movement with a QB who can also scramble for yards or running backs that have open spaces before the snap. If it were not for having to be tackled, it's 7 on 7 - where the QB should be touch football like in the NFL. QB runs, slides, bumps into a defender while sliding, and gets a 15 yard penalty. Don't sack the QB too hard.
You can throw the ball out of the Wing-T or any formation. But FH coaches choose not to do so. Alco and FH have spread formations. They choose not to use them often. And if they do, then that takes away from their dedication to running the ball with physicality.
I turn it around on spread coaches and ask why they don't run the ball with power. Why are they in a Pistol on the one yard line with the QB's heels on the 8 yard line? Can't your QB go under center at all? Is it too difficult to run the spread but go under center from time to time? Is it too difficult to run the ball with 7 blockers?
As for a belief that using a certain scheme prevents your players from getting a D1 offer, you're a buffoon. Don't care if a college coach has told you this. Any college coach who claims such is likely following a head coach that gets bounced somewhere else every 2-3 years. They don't have the time to go the extra distance to evaluate an ungodly amount of prospects outside of a highlight video, stats, size of prospect and personal relationships with coaches at specific high schools. Carter Hess is my prime example. He goes to camps and lineman challenges and tosses around other 4-star prospects like rag dolls. Wins the gold belt while there. Does anyone believe D1 coaches are sitting there saying, "Yea, but they run the Wing-T." What does that have to do with the fact this nose guard is destroying everyone? Lots of teams run the spread in Washington and Frederick County. They are not getting gobs of D1 offers.
Bottom line on this discussion: FH could line up in the I-formation every snap (and they do sometimes) or even a one back set. Yet teams still won't want to play them. It's not about the formation, it's about being physical and running the ball 30 times instead of throwing it 30 times. Coach Whiteman at Frankfort summed it up about six years ago when he stated that playing FH isn't just about getting a loss on the scoreboard, his kids spend the next 2 weeks or more trying to recover physically. Very difficult for small school rosters. I actually get that.
Kids today went straight soft by just following their coaching staff philosophies. If it works for you, great. If you lose twice in four years like FH, even better. Dunbar didn't bitch about it - and that's why they win 38 straight. They relished having to face it. They can run spread or play power ball as FH found out last night. Nothing but respect for their entire staff.
