FNF Coaches 2017 "Back to Work"

The Magazine for High School Football Coaches

January 2017 win a sideline replay system! page 4

PROGRAM BUILDING STARTS NOW Huffman-Hargrave (Texas) coach Mike McEachern has formed a mentorship program between his players and at-risk youngsters

X’s and O’s High school coaches share scheme secrets College Coach Q&A with Kansas State coach Bill Snyder Strength Training with Texas State Champion program

Download the FNF Coaches App

Jumpstart Your Offseason Program Four Coaches Discuss Career Moves Nutrition + Injury Prevention + Recruiting education + Facilities + Fundraising

January 27-29, 2017 // Orlando, FL

INSPIRING LEADERS. DELIVERING GREATNESS. REGISTER TODAY! THE PREMIER HIGH SCHOOL COACH CONFERENCE YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS USA Football is delivering a conference focused on taking your coaching development and program to the highest level possible. USA Football National Conference will give you access to in-demand, high quality speakers and coach development content from top high school coaches and NFL leaders.

WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE: • Collaboration and networking with top Football Coaches from across the nation

SPEAKERS

Brian Billick

Adam Korzun

Merril Hoge

Mike Martz

NFL Network Analyst, Green Bay Packers Head of Performance Contributing Writer, & Super Bowl Nutrition Winning Coach

• In-depth, high quality presentation on topics, including: Program Building Sports Nutrition Leadership Play-Calling Philosophies

Engaging with Parents Strength & Conditioning Xs and Os Position-Specific Sessions

• Access to experts in the sport • An unforgettable football experience

Former NFL Player & ESPN Analyst

Register for the 2017 USA Football National Conference at www.usafootball.com/nationalconference.

Former NFL Head Coach and FOX Sports Analyst

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CONTENT 10. 2017 USA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CONFERENCE DIAGRAM 2

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PLAYBOOK

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TIPS FOR BUILDING A PROGRAM 12. COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER

36 COACHES ON THE MOVE

FNF COACHES MAGAZINE 11880 28TH ST. N, SUITE 101 ST. PETERSBURG, FL 33716 PHONE: (727) 209-0792 • FAX: (727) 209-1776 WEB: FNFCOACHES.COM PUBLISHER: CRAIG BARONCELLI VICE PRESIDENT, SALES: DAVID WATSON VICE PRESIDENT, EXECUTIVE ACCOUNTS: DAYNE MAASDORP VICE PRESIDENT: CHRIS VITA VICE PRESIDENT, FOOTBALL: TOM NOVAK VICE PRESIDENT, FOOTBALL: JOHN GALLUP

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44.

FACILITIES

TRAINING & CONDITIONING

04. COACHES’ CONNECTION 08. COACHING PROFILE 11. MOBILE APPS FOR COACHING 32. INJURY PREVENTION 42. HOW 2: IMPROVE YOUR TEAM

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

48. FUNDRAISING 50. EDUCATION 54. ASSISTANT’S CORNER 56. INSPIRATION

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10 CIF Southern Section Titles

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COACHES’ CONNECTION FNF Coaches, Explained

F

NF Coaches magazine is 100-percent

dedicated to high school football coaches. Our intent is to inform coaches on the latest trends and technology advancements in the industry. We provide a blend of content – from inspirational stories and lessons imparted by coaches to product spotlights and app showcases. Each issue will feature an X’s and O’s section with team strategies, training advice, fundraising tips,

coaching profiles, health and prevention keys and the latest teambuilding practices.

FNF Coaches will be published eight times in 2017 – in January, February, March, April, May, Summer, September and November.

Coaches can order an eight-issue subscription at fnfcoaches.com/ subscribe/ for $26.95 plus $3 for shipping and handling.

For all of the latest content from FNF Coaches magazine, visit FNFCoaches.com, or download the app on the App Store or Google Play.

OUR PARTNER, FNF MAGAZINE

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NF Coaches Magazine is brought to you by the same publishing company that produces Friday Night Football magazine across six states – Texas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and North and South Carolina. More than 180,000 copies of the magazine series will be distributed to newsstands in six states via major retailers including Walmart, Walgreen, CVS and major regional grocers.

Coaches in those states who are interested in learning more about FNF magazine can visit FNFmagazine.com/coach.

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taff from FNF Coaches will be in attendance at the AFCA Convention, from January 7 to 10, in Nashville, Tenn., and at the USA Football National Conference January 28 to 30 in Orlando, Fla. If you’d like to be interviewed for a story while at the show, email fnf@ae-engine.com or visit the FNF Coaches table.

THE FNF COACHES APP

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he FNF Coaches app is available for free on the App Store and Google Play. It is written for high school football head coaches and assistants across the United States. The app provides a collection of all of the best content – features and videos – from FNF Coaches magazine and fnfcoaches.com.

The FNF Coaches app can be viewed by either smart phone or tablet, to keep coaches engaged year-round.

We want the app to be a daily destination for high school coaches, so content will be fresh and unique. Coaches can pick up the latest tips and look to us for breakdowns of the best new products and technologies in the industry.

WIN A SIDELINE REPLAY SYSTEM

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oaches who download the FNF Coaches app will be eligible to win an Insight Replay Sideline Replay System. The Sideline Replay System allows coaches to capture video in real-time from multiple cameras and mobile devices.

The system organizes clips by time, date and location so it is easy to find the video clips you need. The system works anywhere – no internet connection, cellular data

or outlets are required.

The Sideline Replay System has a value of approximately $3,000.

Visit insightreplay.com/ sidelinereplay/ for more information.

To become eligible for the give-away, a coach must download the FNF Coaches app for the iOS or Android. Open the app, and you’ll see the Insight Replay promotion. Click on the promotion, and enter your name to be eligible to win.

LET’S WORK TOGETHER We want to hear what you think of FNF Coaches magazine!

If you have a story idea, product suggestion, or just want to rant or rave, now is your chance!

Visit fnfcoaches.com/contact to share your story.

Also, you can reach managing editor Dan Guttenplan at dguttenplan@ae-engine.com or 727-209-0816.

FNF Coaches magazine also has formed many partnerships with equipment suppliers and distributors of new technology. We want those relationships to benefit you directly.

Email us at fnf@ae-engine.com or call us toll-free at 866-398-9991 and let’s discover how we can help you!

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THE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACHES

COACHES’ CONNECTION FNF Contests Reward Coaches FNF Magazine and FNF Coaches offer various contests throughout the year to give back to the coaches and teams that are the inspiration for our publications.

Follow these contests on Twitter @FNFCoaches and on FNFCoaches.com.

HUFFMAN-HARGRAVE (TEXAS) HOSTS TEAM DINNER FOR AT-RISK STUDENTS

F

NF Magazine awarded

two high school football teams in Florida and one in Texas 50 free meals each at Pollo Tropical in August of 2016 as a reward for winning the inaugural Pollo Tropical Team Dinner Sweepstakes.

The winning schools include Glades Central High (Florida), Rickards High (Florida) and HuffmanHargrave High (Texas). Coaches from each school made their respective cases for the free team dinners through submissions at FNFmagazine.com. The contest, which ran from August 9 to August 30, asked coaches to state their cases in 100 words or less as to why their school was most deserving of the 50 free meals.

The Huffman-Hargrave football team cashed in on its winning prize Sept. 21 when it had the local restaurant chain cater a luncheon for 50 students, some of which included “at-risk” third- and fourthgraders from Copeland Elementary.

Many of the Huffman football players participate in FLY (Falcons Leading Youth), a program that links high school students with “at-risk” elementary students who could benefit from tutoring and mentoring.

“If you ever get discouraged with what we often hear as ‘today’s youth,’ come spend a day with the Huffman Falcon football team,” Huffman coach Mike McEachern said.

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football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

EAST MECKLENBURG (N.C.) WINS RUSSELL CARBONTEK SHOULDER PAD SWEEPSTAKES

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NF magazine and Russell

Athletic supplied the East Mecklenburg High (N.C.) football team with more than $3,000 worth of shoulder pads for the 2016 season as a reward for winning the inaugural Russell CarbonTek Shoulder Pad Sweepstakes.

The FNF staff selected East Mecklenburg as the most deserving school among 40 entrants to the sweepstakes.

During the spring of 2016, FNF invited coaches throughout the continental United States to enter the contest by submitting a 100-word entry on FNFMagazine.com/CarbonTek. East Mecklenburg coach Barry Shuford expressed his program’s significant need for improved shoulder pads. The school’s athletic budget is stretched thin, with 65 percent of all students at the school qualifying for free or reduced lunch under federal guidelines.

“Our kids are so fortunate that the fine folks at FNF Magazine and Russell Athletic care about the community and high school football,” Shuford said. “Because of the rising costs of helmet reconditioning and replacement, we were forced to cut new shoulder pads from our budget last year.”

The Russell CarbonTek system retails at $549.99 per set. The shoulder pads are considered one the safest, most technologically advanced protective systems on the market. You can learn more about the shoulder pads at carbontekshoulderpads.com.

FIVE SCHOOLS WIN FNF TEAM MOMS CONTEST AND $1,000

F

FNF Magazine set out to determine NF Magazine honored five winning schools in October of the school that boasted the best 2016 for the FNF Magazine collection of football team moms in Football Team Moms Contest, each of its five publication regions sponsored by Samsung. A through an online vote from July school from each of FNF 1 to Oct. 15. Throughout the FNF Magazine’s publication entirety of the contest, regions accepted a more than 20,000 $1,000 donation to the fans cast votes on the football team’s booster contest’s voting page: program as part of the fnfmagazine.com/moms. winning prize.

In addition to the Team The winning schools Moms Contest, FNF is included White Oak High giving fans the opportunity to (Texas), Dillard High (Florida), select the 2017 Photographer of Fitzgerald High (Georgia), Eastern the Year. FNF will reward one high Alamance (Carolinas) and West school football photographer from Point (Alabama). In addition to the each of our publication regions by $1,000 donation to the football showcasing his or her photo in the program, each of these schools will 2017 FNF magazine along with a receive a feature and photo in the story. Photographers can enter at: 2017 edition of FNF Magazine. fnfmagazine.com/poty.

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COACHING PROFILE

A FOUNDATION IN FOOTBALL

H

■■ St. Mary’s Springs Academy (Wisc.) coach Bob Hyland has a career record of 437-105-2.

WISCONSIN LEGEND STILL ROLLING HYLAND KEEPS ST. MARY’S SPRINGS ON TOP ALEX EWALT

L

ong before Bob Hyland became Wisconsin’s all-time

winningest coach, he was fresh out of college and taking over a struggling program at St. Mary’s Springs Academy in Fond du Lac. Wins were scarce for the Ledgers before Hyland arrived in 1971 from North Dakota State, where he was conference Offensive Lineman of the Year in his senior season of 1969 for the NCAA Division II champs.

And, he admits, his own start at the small Catholic school was inauspicious.

“I didn’t help things at all. We went 1-15-2 my first two years,” Hyland says.

But change came quickly. Hyland instituted a hard-nosed style on both sides of the ball, running a form of NDSU’s Veer Option. He also ran what was, at the time, a weight-training program unique in its intensity.

“Our kids worked hard,” Hyland says. “They’ve always worked hard to be the best they could be.”

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football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

In 1975, the Ledgers played in their first of four straight state title games — even though they lost each one.

“When we started winning, it was unique,” Hyland says. “[The community] did a lot of things to show its appreciation, and we were just able to continue.”

Hyland captured his first title in 1983, winning back-to-back years in shutouts. Since then, St. Mary’s Springs has racked up 12 more to give Hyland 14 titles overall —including five of the last eight.

With a record of 437-105-2 in a career spanning 46 years, all at St. Mary’s Springs, Hyland ranks No. 7 nationally all-time in wins. But he isn’t one to dwell on the past — not even his 400th win, which he earned in the first game of 2014.

“I forgot all about it,” he laughs.

“The 100th was pretty significant. And then all of a sudden it’s 200, then 300 and 400.”

Hyland says he would like to coach the Ledgers through 2024, when his youngest grandson, now in fourth grade, will be a senior at the school.

yland’s father, also Robert, was a 200-plus-pound star halfback at Madison East (Wis.) High and was set to play for Knute Rockne’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish before a head injury forced him out of football early.

Bob’s younger brother, Dick, played football and ran track at the University of Wisconsin.

At Assumption High in Wisconsin Rapids, Hyland played for former Irish AllAmerican Don Penza, a captain for Frank Leahy, and played at North Dakota State for Ron Erhardt, who later coached the New England Patriots and won two Super Bowls as the New York Giants offensive coordinator.

But it was NDSU assistant Ardell Wiegandt, later head coach of the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders among other stops, who left the biggest impression.

“I went to college with no intention of ever coaching or teaching,” Hyland says. “But I was just inspired by him to pursue coaching.”

Hyland’s son Rob, a star at SMS, played quarterback at NDSU in the 1990s.

A SAMPLE OF ATTENDING HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS

C

onnect with coaches from the following top high school programs at the 2017 USA Football National Conference in Orlando, Fla.

■■ Mobile (Ala.)

McGill-Toolen

■■ Mountain Pointe (Ariz.)

■■ Scottsdale (Ariz.)

Saguaro

■■ Anaheim (Calif.)

Servite

■■ Bellflower (Calif)

Learn alongside the best in high school football 2017 USA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CONFERENCE

■■ Jacksonville (Fla.)

T

he high school football is season is over and prepa-

ration for next year is already underway.

This January, experience a coaching conference unlike any other when the 2017 USA Football National Conference comes to Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 27-29, bringing together the best high school coaches and administrators from across the nation.

The USA Football National Conference is your opportunity to network and collaborate with elite high school coaches from across the nation as well as experience in-depth and quality presentations on a wide variety of topics, including: program building, sports nutrition, leadership, play calling, managing parents, strength and conditioning, Xs and Os and position-specific discussions.

“I speak at a lot of clinics, and I like networking with others from around the country” said Mountain Pointe (Ariz.) High School head coach Norris Vaughn, who will attend the conference in January. “I’m excited about this list of speakers. I like to see what others are doing, then steal from each other. It is important to develop friends in other states through events like this.”

Discover that one new wrinkle that will make all the difference next fall, and find answers to off-the-field questions that play a big role in every program.

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St. John Bosco

■■ Mission Viejo (Calif.)

■■ Jacksonville (Fla.)

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

Sessions are led by top high school coaches, current college coaches and NFL greats, including Hall of Famer Bill Polian and Super Bowl winning coaches Brian Billick and Mike Martz.

“It’s about networking and meeting other coaches,” Louisville (Ky.) Male High School head coach Chris Wolfe said. “I am constantly looking to improve and talking to other coaches who want to improve. This is great for coaching growth and we’ll also get an opportunity to network and hear from leaders of the NFL.” Learn more about the USA Football National Conference by visiting: usafootball.com/ nationalconference. Register today and reserve your spot for just $99.

Atlantic Coast First Coast

■■ Orlando (Fla.)

University

■■ Plant City (Fla.) ■■ Hoschton (Ga.)

Mill Creek

■■ Valdosta (Ga.) ■■ Springfield (Ill.)

Sacred Heart-Griffin

■■ Indianapolis (Ind.)

Warren Central

■■ Louisville (Ky.) Male ■■ Hyattsville (Md.)

DeMatha Catholic

■■ Montvale (N.J.)

St. Joseph Regional

■■ Cincinnati (Ohio)

St. Xavier

■■ Cleveland (Ohio)

St. Ignatius

■■ Tulsa (Okla.) Jenks ■■ Tulsa (Okla.) Union ■■ Gibsonia (Pa.)

Pine-Richland

■■ Lansdale (Pa.)

North Penn

■■ Philadelphia (Pa.) ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

St. Joseph’s Prep Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes Roebuck (S.C.) Dorman Austin (Texas) Westlake Cedar Hill (Texas) DeSoto (Texas) The Woodlands (Texas)

MOBILE APPS FOR COACHING Football App Download Alert!

A good football coach is always looking for ways in which he can use the latest technology to help improve his program. These apps might help coaches better support their players.

FNF COACHES: This

app gives high school football coaches all of the latest information about advances in the sport and showcases some of the best products on the market for high school programs. The app will serve as a collection of all of the best content – features and videos - from fnfcoaches.com. FREE

FOOTBALL STRENGTH TRAINING: Speed and

strength matter most on the football field. These conditioning workouts help your players put on muscle and gain speed, while keeping them flexible and athletic for football specific movements. Offseason training workouts are vital to one’s success once the football season rolls around. FREE

HUDL: Hudl helps teams win with video. The app allows coaches to study the video they’ve uploaded, or capture new video using their device.

Coaches can watch an entire game, practice or opponent scout video.

Analyze full breakdown data and make notes on each clips. Keep stats and upload video. FREE

HUDL TECHNIQUE: Hudl

USA FOOTBALL: Create

TEAMSNAP-SPORT TEAM MANAGEMENT:

a better, safer game with this USA Football app, which includes equipment fitting, Heads Up Tackling, injury reporting and a water break timer.

Coaches create a team inside the USA Football app and invite other coaches, parents and players to connect with the team. FREE

Technique, formerly Ubersense, is used by athletes and coaches in more than 50 sports to improve through slow motion video analysis. Use your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad camera to record and break down technique for instant feedback during a practice or game. Break down your players’ technique with each position group. FREE

TeamSnap’s team management app has taken competitive sports management into the 21st century. Twelve million coaches, administrators, players and parents use TeamSnap’s sports team management software to sign up, schedule, communicate and coordinate everything for the team and the season. Organizing sports is as simple as click, tap and go. FREE

DIGITAL SCOUT FOOTBALL STATWARE:

Digital Scout, the leading high school stat tracking company, has a LIVE football stat tracking app. By using this Digital Scout Football app, you’ll be able to manage all of your stats and generate complete team and player reports after the game.

Digital Scout is part of the NFHS Network. FREE

RECRUITU: RecruitU is designed by experienced college coaching experts to direct a search to a player’s ideal college sports programs. With a comprehensive U.S. college database, RecruitU will match your player with the perfect college based on his academic (GPA and test scores) and athletic skills (level of play). FREE

FOOTBALL DOOD:

Football Dood is a musthave application for football coaches. A great clipboard or playbook application, it allows users to touch and move players around on a field and then layer on doodles and text.

Once happy with the image, users can then save or share the image. FREE

KROSSOVER COACH:

Krossover Coach is the easiest way to watch and analyze your game film. Coaches can use the app’s filter tools to quickly search, sort, and share individual clips or entire games. Add telestrations and custom terminology to any play.

Krossover has been statistically proven to help your team win more games. FREE

Download the FNF Coaches app from the Apple App Store and Google Play

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COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER football is played year-round. Then you have everybody invested in the program. Those players should get invested in a strength and conditioning program as well as any football element that is allowed depending on the rules of the state.”

HOW SHOULD A COACH ENGAGE WITH TEACHERS WITHIN THE SCHOOL?

■■ Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder

WITH KANSAS Q&A STATE FOOTBALL COACH BILL SNYDER DAN GUTTENPLAN

K

ansas State University football coach Bill Snyder

got his start in coaching with Santa Ana Football High (Calif.) from 1969 to 1973. He has since helped establish KSU as a top program in the Big 12 Conference.

HOW CAN A COACH DEVELOP PERSONALLY DURING THE OFFSEASON?

“The first thing I do is make sure to pay attention to my family, which has gone for naught over the entirety of the season. I make sure my staff has some reasonable time to enjoy their families. The next thing is to make sure the youngsters are invested in academics.

Coaches should understand that an element of their responsibility is what the kids are doing behaviorally and academically. It should be an ongoing thing, with coaches digging deeply into the progress of each youngster in the classroom and in terms of social development.”

“It’s important for coaches to say abreast of what’s going on. Coaches should caution themselves: they can’t do everything. Just because it’s different doesn’t always make it better. The key element to any change is whether it fits the personnel they have. You want to make sure your players have the capabilities to execute the things you’re researching. Sometimes, that’s more difficult than people think. Going to clinics is very positive. If you have a university close, set up a visit in the offseason and have dialogue with the coaches. Ask questions. They’ll set you up to watch video and allow you to research if their schemes are a fit for your program. There’s more to be learned than X’s and O’s. Between fundamentals and techniques, there’s an awful lot to be learned in the teaching area. Coaches can help each other.”

HOW SHOULD A COACH DIG DEEPER INTO THOSE ASPECTS OF A PLAYER’S LIFE?

HOW SHOULD A COACH COMMUNICATE IN THE OFFSEASON WITH HIS ASSISTANTS?

“Get to know their families more. Pay attention to the families of young players. Sometimes, there’s not a good relationship there. It’s not because everybody is unwilling; it’s that the time element prevents that from taking place.”

“First and foremost, a coach has to put a great deal of faith and trust in his assistant coaches.

You should be explicit with the things you are interested in, as they relate to all facets of the program. How do you want your assistant coaches to represent the program? How do you want them to teach and interact with players?

From a fundamental standpoint, are there things we want to be talking about? Address that with coaches. Provide the opportunity for coaches to flourish on their own and utilize their skills. In most cases, you’ve hired an assistant who has demonstrated capabilities that you can trust. Give them an opportunity to utilize their strengths.”

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A COACH CAN DO AT THE END OF A SEASON?

HOW SHOULD A COACH TRACK A PLAYER’S PERFORMANCE IN THE CLASSROOM?

“I’d suggest engaging with the faculty. Hopefully a program is in place with an exchange of ideas and thoughts that would help promote both their academic programs and your football program.

Every school is different; there are small rural schools with athletes that play all sports. My way of thinking is that’s a good thing. At other schools,

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“What we’ve done is assign each coach to a department within the academic community.

We’ve got a coach responsible for the business college, another for the architecture school.

At the high school level, a coach should be responsible for math, another for English, and so on. Those coaches interact with the leaders of those departments. What can we do to help your department? Let’s bring you up to date on what’s going on with our program. The purpose of it is to find a commonality with faculty members and let them know you genuinely care about the academic value at that particular school.”

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A COACH’S DUTY

S

nyder believes the best coaches are constantly looking to learn new things. At the high school level, that is of the utmost importance since tight budgets limit the amount of resources a coach has at his disposal.

Snyder recommends that a high school coach – rather than making excuses about budget constraints – becomes the expert on strength training.

“Coaches have to invest themselves,” Snyder said. “The best thing they can do is research the techniques and fundamentals.”

A coach must also branch out beyond his own program by helping players earn opportunities to play after high school. In order to best help his players achieve that goal, a high school coach must be able to self-scout his team.

“A significant part of the recruiting process is for a high school coach to not overestimate or underestimate the capability of a young player,” Snyder said. “We’ll send questionnaires to coaches, and we rely on the ones who can respond in an accurate way about the young guys who might have an opportunity to play at the college level.”

To drive and flip the Leverage Cube athletes must lower their center of gravity and maintain a strong back angle while their hands and feet coordinate. As the Cube flips they can re-strike and repeat.

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The Rae Crowther Leverage Cube is a new and unique piece of practice equipment with a simple but massively beneficial concept: Players push and leverage the cube while trying to “push it over”, but as they become tired, they face the additional challenge of remaining in a strong athletic position while keeping their legs and hands driving forward. It’s as close an approximation to Game Day as we’ve ever seen!

The Cube has a player target on all 4 sides, and it’s made of dense foam that’s weighted in the center (variable amounts of sand), for indoor or outdoor use.

It comes with a weather resistant palette for storage on rain soaked fields, and there’s an optional cover available.

Call Rae Crowther at 800-841-5050 for more information, or to order your cube today!

Go to www.raecrowther.com for our online ordering or to request a 2017 Rae Crowther Football & Strength catalog.

TIPS FOR

PROGRAM BUILDING

■■ Katy (Texas) football coach Gary Joseph, left, and strength coach JD Williams.

January is the perfect month to welcome

Football never stops, so it’s important for coaches keep a long view. The offseason is the perfect time to take stock of every aspect of your program.

DAN GUTTENPLAN

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athletes back for the start of the strength program. We feature the Katy High (Texas) program under coach Gary Joseph, who has established a culture of strength and conditioning to the tune of four state championships in his 13 years as head coach.

January is also the perfect time to devise strategies to grow your program in terms of participation numbers.

We offer the example of Rancho High (Nev.) coach Tom Pletsch, who took over a program in the midst of a 30-game losing streak in 2015 and built from the group up. Rancho had a three-win season in the first year under Pletsch

and grew by more than 100 percent (118 players – up from 52) in terms of participation numbers.

Finally, if you are overwhelmed with ideas and unsure where to start, we offer advice from four coaches with a combined 120 years of head coaching experience and 20 state championships.

These four legends pinpoint the four things you should be thinking about the day the season ends.

The offseason offers coaches an opportunity to get out of the grind of scripting practices, designing game plans and adjusting depth charts. Take this time to mold the program you have into the program you want.

Four Things to Do the Day the Season Ends The end of a football season can come quickly for a team that falls short of its goal of winning a state championship – or even a team that captures the ultimate prize. A coach’s natural inclination might be to take a break after the season, but we recommend that coaches go through this checklist before taking time to decompress.

2

Network with other coaches. Even with 45 years of experience as

a head coach, Good Counsel (Md.) head coach Bob Milloy, 73, is always looking to grow in the profession. Each offseason, he invites college coaches to his campus for recruiting visits. In exchange for the opportunity to recruit his players, Milloy often asks the visiting coaches to provide some tips on the X’s and O’s of the game.

“I watch a lot of college games, and see different schemes,” Milloy said.

“When they come here, I’ll have questions for them. I call in my coaches and say, ‘Why don’t you go up to the white board and show us this play?’”

Milloy finds that the X’s and O’s sessions often mark the start of a mutually beneficial relationship for his staff and the college recruiter.

“Sometimes when a college coach designs a new play, his assistant will think of me and call with an explanation,” Milloy said.

3 ■■ Good Counsel (Md.) coach Bob Milloy celebrated his 400th win in September.

1

Develop a system around the team’s best players.

Mat Taylor has won four state championships in his 10 seasons as head coach at Skyline High (Wash.). The first thing he does each offseason is consider his next team’s identity. That ritual was of particular importance after the 2015 season when he needed to revamp an offense that had been led by a string of four consecutive Division I quarterback prospects over the previous seven seasons. This fall, Skyline starts a 5-foot-7 quarterback and calls plenty of quarterback keepers.

“A coach needs to put his pride aside and evolve with the kids,” Taylor said. “You have to figure out a way to mold what you are and identify your team’s strengths and weaknesses. Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole. If you want to stick to your beliefs, and say, ‘This is our identity ever year,’ you’ll have down years.”

Take inventory of equipment. Jerry Pezzetti has been coaching for 56 seasons, including the last 43 at Ankeny Centennial (Iowa). He is one of two coaches in Iowa high school history to reach the 400-victory career milestone. The first thing he does each offseason is take inventory of equipment and initiate the process of updating any unsafe gear.

“I go through every piece of equipment,” Pezzetti said. “We’re a Riddell team for helmets. I have Riddell come in and inspect every helmet from eighth grade through varsity. We make our orders by Christmas so we’ll have everything by the time we start in the spring.”

Once the equipment order has been placed, Pezzetti reviews expectations for the offseason strength program with his players.

“We make sure all of our ninth- and 10th-graders are in the program if they’re not out for other sports,” Pezzetti said.

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Consider ways to relate to players. Dirk Wedd, 64, has been a part of the

coaching staff at Lawrence High (Kan.) for five state championship teams. With 19 starters scheduled to graduate last June, Wedd’s first order of business last offseason was to brainstorm ways to relate to younger players.

“I’m about as high-tech as the Pony Express,” Wedd said. “Kids today love seeing themselves – whether it’s pictures or video – immediately. That’s where they’re coming from.”

Wedd determined he needed to upgrade his program’s technology in order to better relate to players. He purchased software from HUDL that allows his coaches and players to view video on the sidelines.

“Every day you can wake up and learn something, that’s a positive,” Wedd said. “It was important for us to do whatever it took to get a bunch of young kids to develop at a faster rate.”

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PROGRAM BUILDING The Program Renovator Rancho High (Nev.) football coach Tom Pletsch has established a reputation for taking over struggling programs and turning them into winners.

1

Visit the middle school. Pletsch

went to phys ed classes at Rancho Middle School in January to “get a hook in the kids.”

He returned in May to explain the summer training schedule. “A lot of freshmen in the past never showed up because they didn’t understand football was an opportunity for them.”

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Share your facility with youth league teams. Pletsch found

■■ Rancho High (Nev.) alumnus Joe Blockovich helped the players paint ram horns on their helmets in 2015 after the squad snapped a 30-game losing streak.

T

om Pletsch has a formula for program-building, and

he’s put it to the test twice at his alma mater, Rancho High (Nev.).

First, Pletsch revitalized the Rancho baseball program after his hire in 2006. In 2010, he led the Rams to the state tournament for the first time since 1977. Pletsch was again tapped to overhaul a struggling Rancho program in 2015 when he was hired to become the school’s head football coach.

At the time of Pletsch’s hire, Rancho was in the midst of a multi-season 29-game losing streak.

Pletsch didn’t take any shortcuts in his rebuilding effort, investing time and energy into promoting the program within the largely Hispanic community and school. Rancho snapped the long losing streak, which had stretched to 30 games – in just his second game on the job. As a reward for the win, the Rancho players finally got to paint ram horns on their helmets, honoring the longstanding school tradition that no player wears horns on his helmet until he has recorded his first win.

The Rams finished 3-6 in Pletsch’s first year, and the size of the team – in terms of participation numbers – grew from 52 to 118.

Pletsch believes in this five-step plan for rebuilding a program from the ground up.

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that the most efficient way to recruit youth league players was to bring the players to him rather than going to the players. He gave the youth league teams opportunities to play on the Rancho turf and use the locker rooms.

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Recruit within the high school.

Sometimes the best players are walking

around the same building as your coaching staff.

Pletsch had a 6-foot-5, 330-pound student, Frankie Rodriguez, in his class, and recruited him to be his next left tackle.

“Once he committed, he never missed a day and was a heck of an offensive tackle.”

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Help players overcome off-thefield obstacles. Pletsch

learned that the biggest obstacle for new players joining the team was getting an updated physical.

Many of his potential players could not afford to pay for physicals, so he arranged for transportation to a physician who was willing to provide free physical exams.

5

Keep promises to players. Losing

programs often experience coaching turnover, which can result in unfulfilled promises to players.

Pletsch made a promise to players to improve the locker room and weight room, and fulfilled the promise by seeking out donations from alumni. “Once those things happened, there was a buzz.”

TESTING PERIODS

K

aty strength coach JD Williams has four testing periods for players so that he can design individual programs. During each test period, a player is tested for his max lift on the bench press, squat and power clean. Williams also tests each player’s fitness in the 40-yard dash, five-cone agility drill and timed mile.

The test periods take place in January at the start of the offseason strength program, late March before the start of spring football, end of summer to get a benchmark before the season, and late November/early December after the last game.

“When we get closer to the max day, we start lifting what they think they can lift so they’re not intimated by it,” Williams said. “There’s a psychology to it too.”

■■ Katy High (Texas) strength coach JD Williams

ONE WEEK AT KATY

Strength in numbers Gary Joseph has built the Katy football program into one of the most successful outfits in all of Texas in his 13 years as head coach. In 2015, Katy tied Dallas Celina and Southlake with a record eight state championships. Joseph was named the 2016 National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year and inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame. With more than 400 players in his program – including 140-plus freshmen – Joseph recognizes that the key to the offseason strength and conditioning program is organization.

He delegates that responsibility to strength coach JD Williams. “We’re in the playoffs quite a bit, so we end up losing six weeks of the offseason,” Williams said. “We have to make up for it quickly.”

THE KATY LIFTS LEGS: Front squat, box squat, squat

jumps, hex squat, leg extension, leg curls, forward lunges, backward lunges, lateral lunges, step-ups, overhead squat, calf raises, seated calf raises, jump-ups.

CHEST/TRICEPS: Flat bench, decline bench, dumbbell reverse fly, tricep extension, dumbbell incline, incline fly.

BACK/BICEPS: Seated rows,

lat pulls, pull-ups, bent-over rows, dumbbell curls, reverse curls, hammer curls, reverse wrist curls, upright rows, dumbbell shrugs, upright row.

EXTRA LIFTS: Jammers, hip machine, glute/hamstring extension, neck, abs.

T

he Katy players lift three days a week in January. The following is an example of a one-week cycle. Each percentage is reflective of that particular player’s max lift.

STATION 1 POWER CLEAN:

10 reps at 55 percent, 8 reps at 60 percent, 6 reps at 65 percent NECK: 3 sets of 12 reps STATION 2 SIDE JAM: 3 sets of 10 reps GLUTES: 3 sets of 10 reps

STATION 3 FRONT SQUAT: 3 sets of 8 reps at 50 percent LEG CURLS:

3 sets of 10 reps STATION 4 REAR SQUAT:

10 reps at 55 percent, 8 reps at 60 percent, 6 reps at 65 percent WOBBLE: 3 sets STATION 5 STEP-UPS: 3 sets of 8 reps STRETCH MACHINE: 3 sets STATION 6 HEX SQUAT: 3 sets of

8 reps at 60 percent CRUNCHES: 3 x 25 reps

STARTING SLOW Katy’s in-season strength program serves a different purpose than the offseason program. During the season, the program is designed for players to maintain strength while recovering from the previous game. The offseason is all about building strength and speed.

However, Williams is careful not to rush into the strength-building portion of the program. In January, many of the freshmen on the team are eager to build strength before they have experience practicing perfect technique in the weight room.

“During the first two weeks, it’s all about building muscle memory,” Williams said. “Half of the team is not ready for it. We try to build some muscle memory and retest techniques over and over again.

After two weeks, the strength part starts.”

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17

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Utilizing the ‘Sniffer’ Fullback in the Shotgun Run Game TONY SHIFFMAN, ROSSVIEW HIGH (ILL.)

A

t Rossview (Ill.), we pride ourselves in rushing the football, controlling

the game and keeping our defense off the field. When running the football this much from the shotgun, you sometimes need an extra blocker for an overcrowded defense or when you have an outside defender giving you trouble. This is where our “Sniffer” fullback comes into play and helps to benefit a downhill running football team. This player aligns himself directly behind the tackle on offense and serves as a hybrid player. Given where he lines up in the shotgun formation no player would really like to be known as a “Sniffer”, but aside from the title, this player can be a valuable addition to running the football from the shotgun.

DIAGRAM 1

WHO IS YOUR SNIFFER? When utilizing a Sniffer, you have to think about what type of player you want at this position. Do you want an offensive lineman or tight end type who can overpower the defender?

Do you want a running back or wide receiver type of player who you can utilize in the passing game as well as the run game? Or do you want a hybrid player – somebody who might not be big enough to be an offensive lineman but also not fast enough to be a running back? Ideally, this hybrid type of player should be used as your Sniffer, somebody who is athletic enough to handle a linebacker but physical enough to handle a defensive end. Some schools also like to use a smaller, quicker type of player for play action purposes and for motioning him out wide as well. Again, this is your own preference by your style of coaching and offense.

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WHY USE A SNIFFER? For the simplest purposes, the Sniffer can block the play-side defender the easiest from his position closer to the line of scrimmage (LOS). When running power from a pro-gun shotgun formation, the play-side end (PSE) often squeezes down hard when the play-side tackle (PST) down-blocks. This can cause a tight fit for the kick-out block, which in turn causes a tight fit for the back-side guard (BSG) and the running back (Diagram 1). When you put the Sniffer in the game, he immediately becomes a more dangerous threat to the defender. When he lines up closer to the LOS, he can cut off that defender as well as have a better body position to make the kick-out block (Diagram 2). The same benefits for power benefit when utilizing the Sniffer in ISO and Counter as well (Diagram 3 and 4). The other key element is that this position lines up off the LOS so they are easily motioned across the formation if you want to run Power or Counter to the three-technique and ISO to the shade – essentially the Sniffer acts as the lead blocker on ISO and as the pulling tackle on Counter. He must be able to be multi-faceted enough that they can handle all of these assignments without having to change personnel.

DRILL WORK The beauty of the drill work for this is you can drill the Sniffer as a running back AND an offensive lineman. We will drill the kick-out block on Power, isolation on the inside linebacker for ISO as well as pulling and leading on the linebacker on Counter. These are all simply drilled with bags in the summer and then using a full-speed linebacker or defensive end in the pre-season and in-season. We would often work these drills with a half-line so that you can work multiple backs at once. (It also helps with the offensive linemen pulling and understanding their assignments for these specific plays as well.) We stress for the Sniffer to keep his head inside on the defensive end in Power, turning his defender to the outside and keeping himself between the ball and the defender. The biggest coaching point for power is for the Sniffer to not just look for a big hit but to make a sustained block and keep his feet moving throughout the entirety of the block.

In the Counter and ISO plays with the Sniffer, we preach to MAKE and MAINTAIN the block.

We are not so much worried if the Sniffer takes his defender left or right, we just want to make sure he makes the block, and again, keeps himself between the ball and the defender. It is important that the Sniffer breaks down and does not

DIAGRAM 2 over-run his block. Again, the important coaching point for these drills is not contact but sustaining blocks and keeping his feet firing.

WHERE DO YOU ALIGN YOUR SNIFFER? This is really a coach’s personal choice or dependent on the play. When running Power, we would like to align our Sniffer directly behind the PST with his head almost touching the backside of the OL. This was to cut off the PSE as explained above. When we would run our Counter play with the Sniffer, we would often have him take a step backwards, that way he would have a little more spacing and not run up the backside of the pulling guard. When running ISO, the decision of where to put the Sniffer is truly your own.

Again, if you need to motion your Sniffer back, it is easy and can catch the defense out of position as it cannot adjust in time before the snap.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO USE A SNIFFER? We consider ourselves a downhill running team, so our top play is Power. Obviously, when we run Power with the Sniffer, we are helping put that player in a better position to make a kick-out block. We have the luxury of shifting the Sniffer from side to side or even stacking the RB on the same side to hit the play down the pipe. We can also utilize a quick pop pass with this formation and movement. We simply add a tag word to this play to let the offensive linemen know that while they need to sell the run, they cannot get too far up-field for risk of a penalty.

When running the play-action pass with your Sniffer, it is imperative that his movements at the start of the play look identical to the runscheme. It is important that the quarterback sells the run so that the linebackers bite and the window opens.

CONCLUSION Using the Sniffer is a benefit to any downhill run game. It gives you the luxury of having an extra blocker for linebackers or overhang defenders as well as being able to use him as a decoy or as a mismatch against a safety or a linebacker in the passing game. We have found great success with the use of a Sniffer in our run game. We have recently started to use scheme using our Sniffer as a runner or motion man as well as a receiver in the passing game, especially play-action passing. We feel like we can truly get the best out of a hybrid player and create positive matchups for our football team.

DIAGRAM 3

DIAGRAM 4

■■ Tony Shiffman began coaching at Springfield (Ill.) High in 2007 serving as the varsity offensive line coach/JV head coach, and strength and conditioning coach until 2013. He was able to help the Senators qualify for the IHSA playoffs in five of the seven years he coached. He then moved to Roanoke Rapids, N.C., and Roanoke Rapids High, where he helped to turn a 2-9 team into conference champs (10-4) and make a quarterfinals appearance in 2AA while serving as the offensive line coach/JV head coach and strength and conditioning coach. This past season he helped the Rossview Hawks finish with a 5-5 record while qualifying for the TSSAA playoffs. All told, Coach Shiffman has helped coach offensive lines that have blocked for seven 1,000-yard rushers and multiple 1,000-yard passers while helping multiple players reach all-conference status. He also helps co-host a weekly chat for offensive line coaches on Twitter known as the #HogFBchat. Follow him on Twitter @Coach_Shiffman.

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run/pass/option offense

DIAGRAM 1 FS

JARRY POTH, SOMERSET HIGH (TEXAS)

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RCB

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SAM

he hottest thing in football right now is Run/Pass/

Option offense. RPOs are very difficult to defend, and I don’t have all the answers to stopping this type of offense. I do however have many failures in attempting to stop it to know what not to do. I also have an idea of how to slow it down.

I have learned the hard way by giving up several yards and points to RPO teams. The most difficult RPO to handle is teams that execute at a fast pace.

RUNNING THE RPO OFFENSE I am a huge fan of RPO offense and have been for a while. In 2012, at Sul Ross State University, Scotty Walden, Christian Cruz, Donald Williams and I formulated the best offense in the NCAA. We ran nothing but RPOs. We were throwing screen, horizontal and vertical RPOs off of zoneread game out of pistol and tilted open sets. We had a trigger that was a dual threat in running, passing and had trained eyes.

We were able to capitalize on the faults of the defensive rules. At Sul Ross, we were able to average 580 yards of offense a game – the best in college football that year. We also played very fast, averaging 97 snaps per game. The allowed us to handcuff a defense into a certain call the entire game with little to no pressure.

By playing in a tempo system and using horizontal RPOs, we saw perimeter pressure with gap exchange to stop our zone-read RPOs. We then started to run the vertical RPOs with pops, spots, scats, and snag concepts to keep perimeter pressures at bay.

We would replace the blitzing overhang with a receiver and delivered the ball before the pressure would get to us. It was a really creative concept at the time. So, with that being said, I have been on the other side of the ball calling those plays to combat the rules of the defense to make this article even better.

DEFENDING RPO I have a great understanding of the RPO offense and how it works and what will give it some trouble as well. I have been on the other side of the ball teaching offensive linemen in this scheme. I then went to Oklahoma Panhandle State University in 2014-2015 as the defensive coordinator. OPSU’s head coach, Russell Gaskamp, and Lucas Peters are probably

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LCB

TEXAS LION RAM DICE CUT VS. LATE IZ PRO

some of the best RPO minds in NCAA football.

They challenged me every day in practice so I had to tighten up my defensive rules and how we defended the RPO offense.

Coach Gas and Coach Peters run an 11-personnel downhill RPO system that is very difficult to stop. At OPSU, Coach Anthony Randle, Coach Jihad Wright and I were able to put together a great defense set up to defend the RPO offense structure by establishing defensive rules instead of changing from week to week.

By installing rules and techniques in the secondary and linebacker level at the beginning of the season and working on those rules individually every day, it made us into a great defensive team. At OPSU, we had the No. 1 passefficiency defense in the country; we were also in the top five in every major statistical category.

The most important one for us – in my opinion – was tackles-for-loss.

j

arry Poth is the defensive coordinator at Somerset High, a 4A Div. I powerhouse in Texas. He is also a defensive coordinator at the NCAA Division II and Division III levels.

DIAGRAM 2 WS RCB

SS

FS M

R J

N

S

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BASE U LION RAM DICE CUT VS. LATE IZ RPO

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coaching

insights

DIAGRAM 2 WS SS RCB

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delivered

daily

TEXAS U G LION RAM DICE CUT VS. LATE IZ PRO

THE TOP FIVE AGENDAS IN DEFENDING A TEMPO ‘RPO’ TEAM

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GAME PLAN AND STOP FIRST DOWN: What formation, personnel and concepts are paired with the other team’s running plays?

What front and coverage puts us in a positive situation to get tackles-for-loss on first down? These are things that I go through in Hudl to make sure we are set up to defend what they do. How many hats do I need to contain run and be sound on pass? What is the quarterback reading on his progression?

To defend tempo, you have to defend first down. If the offense doesn’t get more than three yards on first down, I feel like we are in good shape to keep the other team out of RPOs and get to third-and-long quicker. That’s easier said than done. We must get tackles-for-loss on first down run and pass to get the opposing offense off schedule.

CHANGE THE CONFLICT DEFENDER: Every position on the second level knows every other positions’ job on a call. We have rules, so telling a linebacker he is on a three-read, two-read or two-mod

2

is easy for us to manipulate the defense and morph into what we need to stop certain RPOs. Switch the responsibilities within the called coverage. A safety on a three-read will be a B-gap backer on that snap with run-first progression with a No. 3 read. The outside linebacker will take the No. 2 read of the safety and take a pass-drop to try to get a bad ball thrown. I don’t want the offense to know who the conflict defender is in the coverage we are in. We do our best to disguise coverage, and if we have the athletes to run post-snap disguise, it is even better. We constantly change the conflict defender to give a false key.

ATTACK THE MESH POINT: On first down, I want our defense to attack the mesh point of the quarterback and try to get him into some hurried and bad reads for an RPO offense. We know we are getting a pull to the three wide receivers probably with a curl-flat concept behind it. Mix in some two offthe-edge overload with a hard and soft blitz angles to the tilt and attack the mesh to get the quarterback to throw the gift

3

route. I always want to give the gift route to the quarterback.

Give him inside leverage pressed man on a one-clue read and try to set a trap to the gift route.

If we can get the trigger into some cloudy reads and cause turnovers by attacking the mesh point, I feel like we have a good chance to win.

TACKLE IN SPACE: Once we can execute these things – read, react, play physical fast football without thinking – I feel like we can give an RPO offense a bunch of trouble. The most important aspect to me in defending any offense is being a great tackling team. RPO offense puts the demand on the defense to defend the entire field. We must be a great tackling team that plays with extreme effort. We are constantly improving our tackling skills daily in order to allow our team to have a chance at winning a game. We always work on tackling in space or a profile tackle. We teach it just as if you were teaching man coverage.

SIMPLE PLANS: All 11 players are two-gap defenders. By keeping changes from week to week simple, we can morph the defense into what we need for that week. If we need to stop the run more than the pass, we can.

If we need to tweak the plan that week for a big wide receiver, we can. We want to play simple, fast football. Easy reads take away what they do best.

4

5

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SWARM 3-4

MLB

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Installing a 3-4 Defense RYAN MCCARTNEY, SEYMOUR HIGH (IND.)

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he 3-4 defense can be used against

any offensive scheme because of the versatility and multiple looks it offers. Here are the five keys to running a successful 3-4 defense.

1

Assessing players’ skill sets.

Coaches looking to run the Swarm 3-4 defense should look at what type of skill sets their players possess. In our system, the catalyst is our zero-technique nose guard.

We prefer to utilize a wrestler-type nose guard with great balance and quick feet. If your nose guard can slant hard into A-gaps while also being able to get into the hip pocket of a pulling guard, that’s the dude!

Next we utilize double fourtechniques at our defensive tackle positions. We like a bit more length over mass. Since we are a slant/ angle scheme, we’d like our tackles to have good feet and the ability to stay low from the snap as to get into the pads of the offensive linemen.

We predetermine our direction, which allows us to play more aggressive as opposed to reading the blocks first with our feet still.

Our outside linebackers are probably our best overall athletes.

They are big enough to take on a right end, tough enough to spill against a lead blocker or pulling

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lineman, and quick enough to blitz the quarterback or spy a running back out of the backfield.

Our inside linebackers are actually smaller than the average linebacker. We can get away with a running back-type player in this spot because they are protected (for the most part) by our slanting defensive linemen. Our inside linebackers read guards – so the ability to read/react is key. We utilize quickness and football IQ over physical dominance.

Our secondary is comprised of guys who love to play Cover Zero and get into the bodies of wide receivers. We don’t worry about size – technique ultimately will win out. However, your secondary better be able to tackle!

Getting on the same page. Not surprisingly, but often overlooked is the next step in installing the 3-4 Swarm defense. We’ve got to get all of our kids on the same page. What I mean is: our players need to know the responsibilities of each position to understand the entire concept of the 3-4 Swarm. It’s a bit easier playing man coverage, but could you imagine how poorly Cover 2 or Cover 3 would look if the linebackers and defensive backs had no idea who was responsible for

2

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which zones? It’s the same in the box. The front seven needs to know who has what gap – who is the spill player, the leverage player, the cut-back player, etc. This also helps with our TEAM concept in which we all are responsible to each other.

Creating the Mindset. To be an aggressive run-stopping defense, you have to work on the overall attitude and mindset of the unit. The challenge comes when you are limited in numbers, and kids are playing offense, defense and special teams. How do you get defensive-minded attitudes on one side of the ball when your kids aren’t necessarily required to have that same attitude on the opposite side? That’s when practice planning comes into effect. The staff really needs to all be on the same page as it relates to creating an aggressive defensive mentality. From the minute you start your defensive sessions through your skelly and team periods, the coaches are setting the tone and speaking the same language.

Practicing what you preach. In conjunction with controlling the environment that creates an aggressive mindset, you also have to practice what you preach. You can’t just tell your defense that “we want to create turnovers” without actually practicing creating them. You can’t talk about “getting as many hats to the ball” without setting up drills and sessions that work on that aspect of your philosophy. This is done through specific practice planning – having turnover circuits that are specific to the position, not blowing the whistle on the first hint of contact, allowing an interception to be returned for a score with a convoy of players. The more you put your kids in game-type situations, the more desired results you will see.

Putting your kids in position to WIN. Lastly, it’s the coach’s job to put players in position to be successful. Obviously, we talked about skill sets and putting the right “body type” at the desired position. We also need to look at how we align ourselves to the various sets we see – making sure we are gap sound and that we match numbers and not allowing our players to be outnumbered or out-flanked. We’ve got to give our kids the tools to be successful when put into negative situations when things aren’t going their way. We’ve also got to coach up our kids so that they will recognize those situations during the game without needing to take a timeout or receive extra coaching during the contest.

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5

■■ Ryan McCartney has been the defensive coordinator at Seymour High (Ind.) for the past two seasons. Originally from Riverview, Mich., McCartney graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1997. He started coaching football in 1995 and has been either a head coach or defensive coordinator for 16 of those years. In 2014, he was the defensive line coach at Arizona Christian University (Phoenix, Ariz.) and was responsible for recruiting the West Coast and Southwest region.

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your connection to the

high school football

PLAYBOOK Defeating Man Coverage with Counter RPO MIKE ROWE, ROCORI HIGH (MINN.)

DIAGRAM 1

coaching COMMUNITY

BASE RPO OFFENSIVE ALIGNMENT

T

he hottest offensive topic the last year has been Run/Pass/Options, or rpo.

Offensive coaches are always looking for the next great thing. As a coach that has been using RPOs since I began coaching in high school in 2005, I love how they allow your team to limit how many bad play-calls you get in each game. An offense must decide what to do when the defensive team is able to load the box with seven defenders and play receivers man-to-man.

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Diagram 2: To defeat this style of defense, you need two things: an athletic quarterback and a great intermediate passing game. Some years you will have both, but if you are like me and play in cold weather, you need to have a run game. The best way to defeat this is by using the quarterback and force the defense to defend 11 players on offense. One of our favorite running plays is what we call “Tre’ Dart.”

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Diagram 3: We like running “Tre’” out of 10 personnel because it takes defenders out of the box. If we block well with our wide receivers, the only player that is unblocked is the free safety.

We have evolved our RPOs over the last three seasons to allow us to throw versus defenses that want to play us man-to-man. This was a process because we had to spend time teaching our receivers to read the corners alignment. The four routes we emphasized were slant, hitch, post and fade. We would run hitch or slant if the corner was playing off man-to-man. If the corner was playing outside alignment versus the tagged receiver, we would run a post. If the corner was playing press man-to-man with inside alignment, we would run a fade.

My first example of “Tre’ Dart” is a singlereceiver tag. In Diagram 3, we are running Tre’ to the single-receiver side and our quarterback is going to pre-snap read the alignment of the safety. If the safety is in the middle of the field or cheating to the two wide receiver side, then the quarterback is going to anticipate throwing the football. We are hoping that the outside zone path of the running back is going to make the safety move away from the single-receiver side.

The quarterback will show the football and then ride the running back for one shuffle-step. His eyes will go to the play-side linebacker who is the Will in this diagram. If the Will is filling his gap hard, then the quarterback will step forward and throw the ball to the post. If the Will is slow and non-aggressive, the quarterback will follow his blocks and run the ball.

DIAGRAM 3

DIAGRAM 4

Diagram 4: The final example uses jet motion to manipulate the defense. In

M

ike Rowe has been an active member of the Rocori (Minn.) School District for the past eight years, working as a third-grade teacher and head coach of the Rocori High football program. Under Rowe, Rocori High has won two conference titles, four section championships, and appeared in the state semifinal in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The Spartans won their first ever state championship in 2011. Coach Rowe has been an advocate for developing character in his athletes, and in 2014, the NFL featured him in a video that aimed to stop domestic violence and dating violence.

Coach Rowe’s resources and coaching materials can be found at: coaches-clinic.com/ coaching-resources/digital-store.

Follow him on Twitter @coachmikerowe and @rocorifootball.

Diagram 4, we are going to start in a 3x1 set and RPO tag the two-receiver side. The two-receiver side is going to run what we call a “Shave” concept.

In this concept our No. 2 receiver is going to run at the up-field shoulder of the corner guarding the No. 1 receiver and then run a fade route. The No. 1 receiver will release three steps to the outside and then plant his outside foot and run a slant. The No. 1 needs to be patient so that he allows the slot to create a little interference so that his route will be open. When we tag this play, our quarterback is looking to throw the football to the outside receiver after the run fake. We are hoping that the run action holds the linebackers in the box so the slant route will be open. If the box does not have seven defenders, or the receiver falls down, then the quarterback will run the football.

conclusion: These are just a few RPO concepts that we use when the defense tries to take away our throws off of run reads. We find the structure of our formations and our offensive philosophy have allowed us to be an offense that makes it very difficult for opposing defenses to stop.

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25

TRAINING & CONDITIONING The 1,000-Pound Squat The Holy Cross (Texas) football team’s strength program is run by the school’s powerlifting coach, Brian Ortiz. The program has produced a lineman who has squatted 930 pounds and 13 different players who DAN GUTTENPLAN have benched 300.

■■ Holy Cross (Texas) strength coach Brian Ortiz spotted Joseph Pena when the All-State center squatted 930 pounds.

THE BLUEPRINT

O

rtiz models his strength program after American strength

training coach and author Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength program.

During Phase 1 of the offseason (January through March), players are expected to lift four days a week with an additional day of speed training. Every lift has up to four warmup sets and then generally three sets of five or six reps.

The program has worked for players like offensive lineman Joseph Pena, who stands 6-foot-1 and 330 pounds. The two-time All-State center set the Texas state record with a 930-pound squat at the state championship powerlifting meet.

Ortiz trains all Holy Cross athletes, including the girls’ sports teams. He has helped a linebacker build to a squat of 600 pounds and three female athletes achieve squats of 500 pounds each.

“It’s a very boring program,” Ortiz said. “The way you work at it will determine how much weight you’re going to gain per lift.”

With 80 athletes in the weight room per lifting period, Ortiz works the 45-minute sessions like a conveyor belt.

Five players stand at each station and rotate through five reps each. After four warmup rounds with increasing weight, the players do three “working weight” sets of five reps before moving to the next station.

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THE RULES OF HOLY CROSS STRENGTH TRAINING

■■ Aim for correct form, but don’t be afraid of heavy lifting.

■■ Try to add at least five to 10 pounds each week to exercises with three sets of five reps.

■■ If you fail at a rep, repeat that weight during the next workout. If you fail the next workout, lower your weight by 10 percent and continue to use that until you see progress.

■■ The break time between sets is determined by how many people you have in each group.

■■ Unless you are unable to do this program for medical reasons, do not alter the program.

■■ Do box squats if you have bad knees and have been advised by a doctor. Otherwise, you should squat unless you are medically unable to complete the exercise.

■■ Deadlifts include only three reps for a reason. They are taxing on your central nervous system. If you mess around, you will get hurt.

■■ Do the reps and sets as they are laid out in the program.

■■ You do not need to add any additional work to the program with the exception of abdominal exercises.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID ADDING EXERCISES: Focus

on getting your squat up to 1 ½ times your body weight.

DROPPING EXERCISES: The only reason not to do it is because it’s hard. Avoiding what’s hard won’t get you results.

SUBSTITUTING EXERCISES:

Master the basics. Develop base strength and good technique.

CHANGING THE ORDER OF EXERCISES: Squats should be done

first because they are most important and the heaviest weights.

USING MACHINES: Strength built on machines does not transfer to free weights or real life. Machines balance the weight for you.

LOWERING THE WEIGHT: Never lower the weight because the first

two sets were hard. Go for five reps.

NOT ADDING WEIGHT: Lifting

the same weight forever doesn’t force your body out of its comfort zone. Add weight until you stall.

ADDING TOO MUCH WEIGHT:

Stick to five-pound increments when adding weight. Bigger increments make you stall faster.

OVERESTIMATING YOUR STRENGTH: Starting with heavier

weights will make your legs sore.

Sore legs make it hard to squat again two days later.

SKIPPING WORKOUTS BECAUSE YOU’RE SORE: The

best solution for soreness is to train the muscle again. This flushes blood into the muscles, speeding up recovery.

Design a Nutrition Plan

FUELING BEFORE PRACTICE

M

olly Morgan is an advocate for “staying on schedule,”

and that means having that first meal before school for high school athletes.

“Breakfast is key to performance gains on the field,” Morgan said. “Breakfast literally helps break the fast and provides the body with fuel to start the day.”

For athletes who are not hungry when they wake up, Morgan recommends packing a banana, almonds, fruit or a nut-type of granola bar to eat later in the morning. Studies show that fueling at the start of the day also leads to performance gains in school.

For athletes who take the time to eat breakfast at home, Morgan recommends whole grains, fruit and protein. Examples include scrambled eggs, toast and fruit or whole-grain cereal with milk.

Lunch should also include a mix of whole grains, fruit, vegetables and protein. Examples include a ham-and-cheese sandwich, apple, whole-grain fruit bar, salad topped with grilled chicken and milk.

Prior to a workout, a player should eat a combination of carbohydrates, as well as some protein and lower-fat combinations such as whole grain bread with turkey and cheese, apple and peanut butter or whole grain cereal with milk and a sliced banana.

Molly Morgan, an Apalachin, N.Y. resident, is a nutrition consultant for professional sports teams as well as a published author. She offers her thoughts on the best nutrition strategy for a high school football team.

FUELING DURING AND AFTER PRACTICE

A

high school football practice generally lasts longer than one

hour, so it is important for players to fuel – in addition to drinking water – during the training session.

Morgan’s rule of thumb is that athletes should consume 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates for each hour of practice.

That can come in the form of food and sports drinks. Food recommendations include honey stinger energy chews (without caffeine), orange slices, raisins and pretzels.

Once practice is over, an athlete can see the most gains if he refuels within the first 30 minutes after a workout with a combination of carbohydrates and protein.

“The window continues much longer than the first 30 minutes – as long as several hours after a workout – even if it’s not as effective,” Morgan said.

Chocolate milk is a great refueling option because it delivers a combination of carbohydrates and protein as well as hydration. However, Morgan warns that energy drinks do not serve the same purpose.

“Energy drinks are dangerous, loaded with sugar and caffeine, and should not be a part of an athlete’s routine,” Morgan said. “Athletes would be better off having nutrient-rich calories that refuel their bodies like almonds, a peanut butter sandwich, or yogurt with granola.”

TIPS FOR HYDRATION

P

roper hydration requires a full-day commitment. An athlete cannot expect to perform at his highest level if he’s not properly hydrated.

“The biggest rule of thumb for athletes is to arrive to games, practices and workouts hydrated and focus on hydration every day,” Morgan said. “Athletes should sip fluids throughout the day with the goal of having most of their daily fluid intake from water.”

Boys ages 14 to 18 should be drinking 11 cups of water a day. A football player should drink eight to 16 fluid ounces of water two hours before practice and another eight ounces 15 to 30 minutes before the training session.

During practice, a player should drink four to eight ounces every 15 to 20 minutes. After practice, he should replenish with 24 fluid ounces for every pound lost.

An easy way to monitor hydration status is by assessing urine color.

The goal for athletes should be to have pale, lemonade-color urine.

If the urine is darker, that is an indication of under-hydration and should signal the athlete to drink more fluids.

Symptoms of dehydration include noticeable thirst, irritability, fatigue, weakness, nausea, headache, cramping, dizziness, lightheadedness, difficulty paying attention and decreased performance.

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27

TRAINING & CONDITIONING Help Players Prevent ACL Tears A medical research team has come up with a warmup for players that helps reduce ACL tears.

T

he research team at Cincinnati SportsMedicine Research and Education Foundation

designed a proactive solution for the prevention of ACL tears. Historically, athletes look to build strength and flexibility around the ACL only during rehab after a traumatic injury. With this in mind, the team at Cincinnati SportsMedicine Research and Education Foundation developed the Sportsmetrics™ Warm-up for Injury Prevention and Performance program.

WIPP is a specially designed 20-minute warm-up, incorporating the four components of Sportsmetrics™ for maximum efficiency and conditioning.

COMPONENT 2

COMPONENT 1

Plyometrics

Warm-Up

TUCK JUMP (30 SECONDS)

Start in an upright neutral stance and jump to tuck the knees simultaneously to the chest and repeat.

SQUAT JUMP (30 SECONDS) STRAIGHT LEG MARCH (20 SECONDS)

Walk with both legs straight. Alternate lifting each leg as high as possible without jeopardizing form or leaning backward.

HAND WALK (20 SECONDS)

Bend at the waist and place the palm of the hands on the ground.

Walk using your hands and feet while keeping the legs and back straight.

Begin in a squat position with the chest/head up and back straight. Reach your hands to the outside of the heels, then jump up reaching as high as possible.

180-DEGREE JUMP (30 SECONDS)

Starting from an upright neutral stance, jump straight into the air and make a 180-degree turn before landing. Reverse direction and repeat.

SCISSOR JUMP (30 SECONDS)

CRADLE WALK (20 SECONDS)

While walking forward, lift one leg in front of the body, bending at the knee. Rotate the knee outward and the foot inward. Hold the foot with both hands for three seconds, standing on one leg. Switch legs.

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HIP ROTATOR WALK (20 SECONDS)

Pretend there is an obstacle beside you.

Rotate one leg out at the hip, then bring the leg up and over the obstacle while facing forward and keeping the shoulders and hips square.

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Start in a deep lunge position with the front knee directly over the ankle. Alternate legs by pushing off the front leg and landing with the opposite leg bent in front.

BARRIER HOP SIDE/SIDE (15 SECONDS/LEG)

Using a six- to eight-inch barrier, perform a single leg hop side-to-side over the barrier.

J

onathan Banz, a physical therapist at Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Mass., recommends the WIPP program to sports teams for six-week cycles.

He found that teams that do the program three times a week for six weeks experience between 24- to 82-percent reductions in ACL injuries.

“It’s designed to replace the traditional warmup,” Banz said. “It’s been shown the more traditional warmups aren’t as effective in reducing ACL injuries. This program has been developed to complement the things football players will do in a game. It’s also a feasible 20-minute warmup with a lot of bang for the buck.”

The warm-up includes two minutes of dynamic exercises, five minutes of plyometric jumps and drills, seven minutes of strength drills, four minutes of flexibility exercises and two minutes of agility drills.

“This program has been proven to reduce and prevent injury,” Banz said. “For a program to be able to go through a fullscale program, it’s a big endeavor. Something like this usually comes after a number of players suffer injuries. Most coaches won’t do preventative programs, but it beats the alternative, which is playing shorthanded due to players suffering ACL tears.”

COMPONENT 3

COMPONENT 4

Strength

Flexibility STEAMBOATS (30 SECOND/LEG)

HAMSTRING (20 SECONDS/LEG)

Place a stretch bound around the ankles. Begin with fee shoulder-width apart.

Slightly bend one knee so the foot is off the ground.

Balancing on one leg, begin kicking the bent leg forward and backward at the hip.

While seated, extend the left leg fully and bend the right leg while placing the inside foot along the left calf. Bring the chest toward the knee and reach with both hands.

HIP FLEXOR (20 SECONDS/LEG)

Stand with the feet in a lunge position with the front knee slightly bent. Push up on the rear toe.

LATERAL STEP (30 SECONDS/DIRECTION)

Place a stretch band around the ankles. Start with the feet shoulder-width apart and step out to the side 10 to 12 inches. Slowly and under control, follow with the other foot to return to the initial position. Repeat and switch direction.

QUADRICEPS (20 SECONDS/LEG)

While standing, grab the foot or ankle and lift it up behind the body. Press the foot into the hand while pressing the hips slightly forward.

CALF (20 SECONDS/LEG)

Stand in the lunge position with the front knee bent. Place hands on the thigh and press forward while keeping the back leg straight and the rear heel down.

SUPINE HAM BRIDGE (30 SECONDS/LEG)

Lie flat on the back, bend one knee and place the heel close to the glutes. Extend the other leg straight up in the air. Push with the heel to lift the glutes off the ground and the extended leg higher in the air. Switch legs and repeat.

COMPONENT 5

Agility

AB CRUNCH (60 SECONDS)

Lie on the back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Raise the upper body off the ground until the shoulders are no longer touching the ground. Hold it for three seconds.

PLANK (60 SECONDS)

Lie face-down placing the elbows under the shoulders and forearms on the ground.

Place legs hip-distance apart and curl the toes under. Lift the body up on the elbows and toes.

QUICK FEET (30 SECONDS/DIRECTION)

Start at the left end of a sideline, facing the field. Step right foot forward and diagonally to the right over the line followed quickly by the left. Next, step the right foot backward and diagonally to the right, followed by the left.

NEBRASKA DRILL (2 REPS)

Set two cones 30 feet apart. Begin on the right side of the first cone, sprint to the left side of the second cone. Pivot around the cone until you’re facing the first cone. Pivot around the cone until you’re facing the second cone. Upon reaching the second cone, backpedal to the start.

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29

TRAINING & CONDITIONING The Man Behind the ‘Dragon Maker’ Southlake Carroll High (Texas) coach Hal Wasson has created a legendary boot-camp style training session – “The Dragon Maker.” A portion of the session is devoted to improving his team’s collective speed.

■■ Southlake Carroll (Texas) coach Hal Wasson

A TRACK MENTALITY

The Carroll coaching staff encourages all players to run track in the spring. Players that choose not to join the track team end up running track with the football team.

Carroll has a 200-meter phase of spring training. Wasson and his assistants test each player in the 200-meter dash before grouping the players according to speed.

The 200 phase then includes a speed portion of practice which includes 3 x 200s on a specified time. Each player must finish in the allotted time; otherwise, the entire team repeats the drill.

“Our 200 phase could last seven days, or it could last 21 days,” Wasson said. “It’s not over until they all make it in the specified times. We’re not going to move on without 100-percent success.

That’s the discipline part we instill in our program. We have to win with discipline and attention to detail.”

The Carroll staff trains players as if they are preparing to run 400 meters on the track.

“We look at it as a marathon – not a sprint,” Wasson said. “All of the drills we do are geared toward the 400. We want our players to play fast for the entire game.”

TEACHING TECHNIQUE

A WELCOME TO BOOT CAMP

T

he “Dragon Maker,” a boot camp-style training session

performed every day for up to a month, is designed to build physical and mental toughness.

Part 1: The workout starts with 20 minutes of mental work, including play recognition and video review.

Part 2: 15 minutes of speed weights (high reps performed at low weight). Each athlete is assigned to one of 75 stations in the weight room. When the whistle blows, players shout “Dragon Pride” and quickly lift for 10 seconds.

Part 3: They then hustle to the next station to avoid ups-downs (players run in place then drop to the floor and pop back up as fast as possible), which are performed for up to 30 reps if players aren’t in sync.

Part 4: The workout transitions to the Thunderdome, a facility near the weight room where players perform pushups, sit-ups and up-downs for 15 minutes straight.

Exercises must be performed together or everyone starts over.

Part 5: The last part of the training session ends with speed and agility for 15 minutes. Players are broken up into eight groups for high-intense mat drills, sled pulls, med ball work, foot fire and pro-agility drills.

30

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t the start of each speed training session, Wasson and his staff break down each athlete’s running motion to try to eliminate wasted body motion.

The coaches have found that upper-body motion is paramount to playing with speed. The coaches stress that players should pretend they’re trying to sweep their thumbs into their pockets as they run.

“We want our players to control their arms and hands as they run,” Wasson said.

The coaches also have the players exaggerate their knee lift during the running motion.

Certain running drills require the players to lift their knees belt-high.

“We work on getting their feet over cones, going over and under hurdles,” Wasson said. “We’re not developing track speed, we’re developing football speed. To get stronger, you have to lift weights.

To get faster, you have to run. We do a lot of running to enhance speed and athleticism.”

Many of Carroll’s speed drills start on an end line, and players run across the field on a specific yard-line.

“We want them to consciously focus on staying on the lines,” Wasson said. “There’s no wasted motion if you’re running in a straight line.”

INJURY PREVENTION Five Tips for Dealing with Player Injuries

E

FRANK WHITE

very football coach will

inevitably deal with injuries during the season. These tips will help coaches prepare for those unfortunate situations.

1

high school football coach who has published eight books about the sport – covering topics ranging from injury prevention to player safety.

Train yourself to handle an emergency.

Reed recommends that if a player has a medical emergency related to his head or heart – or if the condition is heat-related – a coach should call 9-1-1.

“Go through a drill with the team practicing what happens when a player suffers from heat stroke or a concussion. Coaches need to know when to call 9-1-1.”

2

Have a certified trainer at practices and games.

A certified trainer should be able to take the guess-work out of a coach’s hands following an injury. A trainer is able to determine the severity of an injury and treat it. Many times, a trainer can also determine the next course of action if a player needs to be referred to a specialist for a specific type of injury.

Do not pretend to be a doctor. You wouldn’t hand over play-calling duties to a doctor on game day, just as a doctor wouldn’t give a football coach responsibility for diagnosing injuries and prescribing treatment.

3

32

John T. Reed is a former

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■■ Andrea Noel-Doubleday, assistant director of Cooley Dickinson Rehab Services

“I don’t think coaches have any business doing independent diagnosing or prescribing,” Reed said.

“It’s not a shucking of responsibility. It’s a coach knowing that there are experts who know more.”

4

Seek out a sports medicine specialist for a rehab plan.

A sports medicine specialist is oriented toward helping an athlete get back on the playing field as fast as possible. Studies show that active rehab is more effective than a sedentary rest period – for most muscle and soft-tissue injuries. “If it hurts to lift 15 pounds – but not 10 – a sports medicine specialist will want you to lift 10,” Reed said.

Delegate oversight of rehabbing players. A head coach is responsible for making the most of practice time for the active players on his roster, making it difficult for him to monitor players who are rehabbing injuries. Delegate the responsibility to an assistant coach or a physical education teacher in school.

“A head coach can test for progress on his own time, but that should be outside of practice time,” Reed said.

5

THE DOCTOR KNOWS BEST

C

oaches typically want to get injured players back on the field as quickly as possible, and that can often lead to a somewhat strained relationship between coaches and medical experts.

Reed believes a coach must view himself as a teammate of the prescribing doctor.

“As a coach, I can follow the instructions of a doctor, but I can’t substitute my own judgments,” Reed said.

A coach should reinforce the doctor’s message, erring on the side of caution when it comes to the rehab schedule.

“It’s not about putting competition over health,” Reed said. “It’s possible to work hard through rehab for many injuries, but rushing back is rarely in the long-term interest of the patient.”

Parents will occasionally disagree with a medical expert’s opinions on their child’s injury. In this instance, a coach should listen to the parents’ concerns but support the team’s medical expert.

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INJURY PREVENTION

WHAT A STRENGTH COACH MUST KNOW

P

■■ Noel Piepgrass has created a program for quarterbacks to strengthen their shoulders.

Five Ways to Avoid Rotator Cuff Injuries THE OFFSEASON PROGRAM FOR QUARTERBACKS

N

oel Piepgrass is the strength and conditioning

coach at Central Valley Christian High (Calif.). He has designed an offseason strength program to help quarterbacks avoid shoulder and rotator cuff injuries.

1

Avoid movement patterns that have the potential to cause injury. These include any press that

involves a barbell. Avoid the flat barbell bench, incline barbell bench, decline barbell bench and military press. Take away the barbell from quarterbacks, and replace with dumbbells. Press variations can include a low tilt or flat bench.

Focus on push-up variations. Body-weight exercises can improve strength and help maintain balance in the strengthening of the muscles around the shoulder. The one exception when it comes to body-weight exercises is the dip.

Replace dips with push-ups or rows. Be sure that quarterbacks have an even split between push and pull exercises in the weight room.

No overhead Olympic lifts. Most football strength programs include variations of the clean

2

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SUSIE SZYMANSKI

and snatch. These exercises put quarterbacks at risk for injury. Replace the clean with the high pull and the jerk-and-clean or snatch with a dumbbell/kettlebell swing.

No back squats. The back squat can cause problems with lower-back health for quarterbacks, and the action of the shoulders occasionally creates potential for injury. Replace the back squat with the front squat with the quarterback’s arms crossed in front. Another option for quarterbacks is the safety bar squat so that the shoulders are not stressed.

4 5

Light weights for shoulder stability.

Quarterbacks do not need to stand in front of the mirror with heavy dumbbells to build shoulder strength. In fact, that will decrease flexibility that every quarterback needs to be an accurate passer. A quarterback can build the smaller muscles around the rotator cuff with cable exercises, stretch cords and weights as small as 2 ½ or 5 pounds. Resistance exercises with a partner also work well.

iepgrass believes a quarterback needs to devote offseason training time to strengthening his core through medicine ball work.

“That type of program will develop a transfer of power from the lower body to the trunk muscles and out of the arms,” Piepgrass said. “That’s important for quarterbacks.”

Piepgrass believes medicine ball programs are far more effective at stabilizing the core then crunches or sit-ups. He recommends a sideways press for rotational stability, a suitcase carry for lateral stability, and slider plank for anterior stability.

One piece of advice Piepgrass can give to aspiring strength coaches when it comes to quarterbacks: Leave the throwing program to the head coach.

“It’s really important to the head coach to control the throwing program,” Piepgrass said. “You’re in charge of the strengthening of the shoulder and the rest of his body. Let the coach design the throwing program and incorporate it into the strength program.”

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he offseason is the perfect time for a coach to take stock of his career and decide if it might be time for a change. The next four features share the experiences of coaches who considered their options at various points in their respective careers, and chose four different paths.

ON THE MOVE Hall of Fame Shoes to Fill

WASHINGTON COACH CARRIES ON PROUD TRADITION Mat Taylor fulfilled his dream of becoming head coach of a high school team at age 32 in 2008. But the Skyline High (Wash.) coach was in the unenviable position of replacing local legend Steve Gervais, who had three state titles to his record.

10-minute stretch.

Taylor wanted to pick up the pace, with a goal of running 20 to 25 plays every 10 minutes.

“I developed a philosophy to run as many reps as possible, but that involved scripting practice to a ‘T’,” Taylor said. “That first year, I spent an hour-and-half scripting each practice.”

■■ Mat Taylor, with his family.

At first, Taylor’s assistant Taylor has won four state coaches were skeptical championships in 10 seasons. about the change in philosophy. They felt the increased pace limited their time to coach players on technique.

Although Taylor was young, he provided some continuity and experience to the powerhouse Skyline “Coaches felt they weren’t getting a good look,” program in 2008 when Gervais accepted a Taylor said. “But it was just about identifying the position on the University of Washington defense quickly and going fast. Then when the coaching staff. He had served as Gervais’ wide games came, it slowed down for them.” receivers coach at Skyline for nine years. Since Taylor is cautious not to become too comfortable taking over as head coach, Taylor has led Skyline in his dream job, so he is constantly making efforts to four more state championships in 10 seasons. to learn new schemes and coaching philosophies.

“You don’t want to be the guy that follows ‘The A few offseasons back, he spoke at a BYU recruitGuy’,” Taylor said. “It was stressful. But I’d been ing clinic. A lesson imparted to him by then-BYU here since 1999; a lot of people identified me with coach and current University of Virginia coach Skyline football.”

Bronco Mendenhall stuck with him.

Taylor’s first order of business was sticking to “He told us that if you add something to your the philosophy: Don’t mess up a good thing. His playbook, have enough pride to take something sophomore quarterback at the time was getting out,” Taylor said. “That first year, I got so caught recruited by Division I colleges, and the team was up in going fast and building out the playbook. coming off multiple state championships (2000, Coach Mendenhall’s point was that we can’t 2005, 2007). expect the players to practice and remember so “I had all of these talented kids, and a lot of stress many new things.” and pressure,” Taylor said. “It was never a negative Now, Taylor requires his assistants to write thing. I helped Coach Gervais a lot, but now it was down any suggested additions to the playbook just me. I tried to do things a little differently.” along with the play that will be removed.

The biggest change that Taylor implemented “It’s a good idea for any head coach,” Taylor said. was in the pace of practices. Gervais had directed “Make the coaches write it down. You can’t just practices with a hand-held horn, and the pace was show me a play that you saw the Chiefs run, and slower than that of a game. For instance, under his say, ‘We should run this.’ Write it out, and tell me leadership, Skyline practiced about 10 plays in a what it’s replacing.”

36

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THREE TIPS FOR FOLLOWING A LEGEND

DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY: Chances are that

if you try to be exactly like your predecessor, you won’t be a better version.

Be yourself and coach on your own terms. “You have to do things differently,” Taylor said. “Steal ideas, but change things that you think could be better.”

RESPECT THE TRADITION: Although the previ-

ous coach may be gone, many of the players remain.

Don’t tell them to forget about the past. “I always tell our players this is our 21st season, and Team 21 hasn’t done anything,” Taylor said. “But that doesn’t mean last year’s team didn’t do anything.”

START SMALL: Taylor made the mistake in his first season of trying to keep all of his predecessor’s plays while adding his own ideas to the playbook.

“If I could do 2008 over again, I’d do it differently.

Philosophies and schemes change, and you don’t need to preserve everything.”

ON THE MOVE Time to Move: The Seven-Year Itch Robbie Owens uprooted his family of four before last season, leaving his home of over 20 years in Grand Junction, Colo., to accept a new head coaching challenge at Helix Charter in San Diego.

JIM ZEMBRUSKI

O

wens had deep roots in Grand Junction,

Colo. He started his coaching career as a college assistant at Mesa State from 1996 to 2006. He then served as a head coach of Grand Junction High from 2008 to 2015, logging a cumulative record of 47-38-1 including an 11-1 season in 2011.

On top of that, his wife and two sons – a junior and senior in high school – had called Grand Junction home for the better part of two decades. Still, Owens considered five factors before accepting the job at Helix High in San Diego.

FAMILY SUPPORT Owens recognized that he needed his entire family on board with a move to Southern California, so before he even interviewed at Helix, he called a family meeting at the kitchen table.

“I told my boys to get out their cellphones and look up everything about the area,” Owens said. “If anybody doesn’t want me to take the job, I won’t even interview. They talked about it and said they were all-in. It was a family decision, and I knew I had their support.

That way, I could go into the interview knowing I was all-in as well.”

A STRONG TRADITION Helix boasts one of the strongest high school football traditions in the country. Current NFL players Alex Smith and Reggie Bush attended Helix, and in 2004, both were finalists for the Heisman Trophy. It was the first time two finalists attended the same high school.

The Highlanders, who play in Division I-AA, California’s largest classification, went 11-2 in 2015 – before Owens was hired – and won the San Diego section before falling in the state semifinals. They won a Division II state championship in 2011. Owens went 10-3 in his first season at the charter school.

38

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■■ Robbie Owens became head coach at Helix Charter in San Diego, Calif., after 11 seasons at Grand Junction, Colo.

A NEW CHALLENGE Grand Junction peaked under Owens in 2010 and 2011, when the squad made consecutive 5A quarterfinal appearances. The offensive innovator integrated a no-huddle pistol offense before watching his team’s participation numbers decrease in recent years. Grand Junction moved down to 4A last season.

“I was told by many people we’d never win there, and three years later, we were ranked No. 1 in the state,” Owens said.

“By the end of my time there, we were competing against Denver schools and struggling. I’ve always considered myself a college coach, so I was always looking at job postings. This one was perfect.”

TIMING Owens could have waited another two years – until his youngest son graduates high school – for the timing to work out perfectly for a move to California, but he recognized his career track might suffer if he were to wait.

“I saw a research project that determined that most people can commit to something for seven years on average,” Owens said. “It was a project about youth sports and the human psyche. Everybody pushes these kids to specialize in one sport earlier. The human psyche is wired to commit for seven years and then burn out. I always had that on my mind.”

LOCATION If you’re going to uproot your family, relocating to a family vacation spot is not a bad way to do it. The Owens family loved the San Diego area even before the move, and the allure of coaching at Helix only added to the coach’s intrigue.

“We always talked about how great it would be to live in San Diego,” Owens said. “This was a nationally ranked, prestigious job. If it wasn’t Helix and it wasn’t San Diego, it’s not a job I would have looked at. It’s kind of like we won a lottery ticket.”

KEEP IT FRESH f a coach isn’t excited about his program, he’s going to have a difficult team motivating his staff and players.

Starr knew he needed a new challenge last offseason when he wasn’t feeling the normal nerves heading into a new offseason program.

“I’ve never really been complacent,” Starr said. “Don’t allow yourself to become complacent.

There are always new challenges out there.

We’re in a society that changes so fast.

Embrace it.”

Starr has never been afraid to switch schools and take on a new challenge. He said the first step any coach must take at a new school is gaining the trust of the players.

“In order to change the culture, they have to buy into your dream,” Starr said.

“We hired some coaches that believed the same way we did.

It was our job to help change the dreams for these players.”

I

■■ John Starr took on a new challenge at Howard High in Tennessee, after carving out a successful career in Georgia.

Finding the Next Big Challenge STARR LOVES A RECLAMATION PROJECT DAN GUTTENPLAN

J

ohn Starr sees a struggling football with a coaching

vacancy as an opportunity. He took on his latest reclamation project last fall when he accepted the head coaching position at Howard High (Tenn.).

If Starr is leading a program that is clicking on all cylinders, he gets antsy. That happened at Josey High (Ga.) – Starr’s first head coaching gig – in the 1990s. He took over a program in that had just three winning seasons in the previous 30 years.

He guided Josey to the 1995 Class AAA state championship before leaving a few years later.

He then took over a Chattooga (Ga.) program that had appeared in the playoffs four times in the previous 20 seasons and promptly took the squad to six playoff trips in a span of eight seasons.

He spent 2010 to 2015 building a perennial contender at Salem High in Conyers, Ga., before accepting the position at Howard High.

“It wasn’t the challenge I needed to keep me excited,” Starr said. “At that point in time, I put it on autopilot. The kids were working hard and doing what they were supposed to do. I was just keeping it afloat.”

Starr is more attracted to positions in which he feels he’s rescuing a sinking ship. In Howard, he found a school that had won just five games

in the previous five seasons – but also a school with a rich tradition. Former NFL players Reggie White and Terdell Sands are among an impressive collection of Howard alumni.

Howard popped up on Starr’s radar when he was visiting friends in Tennessee in 2015.

“I heard they only won five games over five years, and I thought this school is better than that,” Starr said. “It’s Howard – Reggie White and Terdell Sands played there. They deserve better.”

Starr led Howard to five wins last season, equaling the total from the five previous seasons.

The Highlanders also earned a trip to the playoffs.

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39

ON THE MOVE

■■ New Canaan High (Conn.) head coach Lou Marinelli

No Place Like Home for Marinelli LEGENDARY CONNECTICUT COACH STAYS PUT FOR 36 YEARS CHRIS GRANT

I

n 36 years as the New Canaan (Conn.) head coach, Lou

Marinelli has led his team to 12 state championships, including the last four. He shared five factors for a coach to consider in planning a career.

THE COACHING STAFF The majority of the New Canaan coaching staff consists of Marinelli’s former players.

Collaboration within a coaching staff can make a head coach’s job more enjoyable.

“How often do you get to see the seeds you’ve sewn come to fruition?” Marinelli said. “It’s cool to see kids I helped get through those crazy teenage years come back.”

THE ADMINISTRATION A coach should be eternally grateful when he works at a school in which the administrators are supportive of athletics. That can certainly help for budgeting purposes – in terms of improvements to the facilities and coaching salaries. Support from administrators also helps when a coach has a conflict with a player or parent, and the situation escalates.

FINANCES Marinelli has never made his annual salary a priority throughout his career, and that has

40

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allowed him to remain content in the same position for 36 years.

“Anybody coaching at the high school level can’t be looking at it from a financial perspective,” Marinelli said. “I took a pay cut when I came here 36 years ago. I’ve never really thought about the finances.”

THE COACH’S IMPACT Marinelli coached at the college level early in his career, and while that experience was exciting for him, he felt more suited to coach high-schoolers.

“As a college coach, I never really felt I had the impact I do at the high school level,” Marinelli said. “Everyone wants to compete at the highest level, but you have to play to your strengths.”

THE PLAYERS Marinelli has had opportunities to move on from New Canaan, but he questioned whether he’d find the quality of people he has coached in New Canaan.

“A lot of the guys I’ve coached have become policemen and firemen in town,” Marinelli said.

“The idea that I’m starting to coach sons of players I had 25 and 30 years ago is special.”

THE PERENNIAL CHAMPION

M

arinelli bounced around early in his career, starting at Mamaroneck High (N.Y.) in 1976 before moving to the college level as an assistant at Boston College in 1977. He left BC to become the head coach at Yorktown (N.Y.), where he stayed for two years.

He’s been at New Canaan for the last 36 years.

“A lot of the guys I coached with at BC were getting themselves ready for the NFL or going into business,” Marinelli said.

“I didn’t even know where New Canaan was; it’s funny how things work out.

The administration here is very supportive, and these are the greatest kids you could ever want to coach.”

New Canaan has won 12 state titles under Marinelli.

“Many of my former players are head coaches now, and hopefully they’re enjoying it as much as I still am,” Marinelli said.

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HOW 2 Update Your Video Replay System for $3,000 A Michigan coach noticed coaches on opposing sidelines using technology that his team did not have at its disposal. He made two purchases for about $3,000 and caught up on the fly.

DAN GUTTENPLAN ■■ The Livonia Franklin End-Zone Camera

■■ The Livonia Franklin (Mich.) Sideline Replay System

SIDELINE VIDEO RULES

AN END-ZONE LOOK

Livonia Franklin (Mich.) coach Chris Kelbert stared across the field during a game against a conference rival in the fall of 2014 and realized his team was at a disadvantage.

“They were making adjustments on the sideline using video,” Kelbert said.

“We didn’t even know if it was legal. We needed to get with the times.”

Kelbert purchased iPads for a cost of between $300 and $400 per device and organized his coaching staff so that they could take advantage of a sideline replay system. One coach captures video on an iPad using HUDL software. Then, that coach edits the content, and brings it to the sideline so it can be shared with coaches and players. Livonia Franklin has been using sideline replay for two seasons.

Kelbert, who calls the offensive plays for Livonia Franklin, often requests to see a replay when a play that he felt should have worked does not yield positive yards.

“You don’t have to watch everything,” Kelbert said. “You plan all week for things you think are going to happen. Ingame, things change and it’s helpful to review plays so you can determine what the opposing team is doing even quicker than before.”

42

Livonia-Franklin games are also recorded from THREE BENEFITS OF USING SIDELINE REPLAY

1

IN-GAME COACHING ADJUSTMENTS: It’s difficult to determine an opposing team’s game plan in real time, but given a second look, coaches can adjust accordingly.

CORRECTING PLAYER TECHNIQUE: High school players are visual learners.

Show them a mistake on an iPad, rather than explaining it without a visual aid.

ASSESSING INJURIES: If a player complains of a headache or dizziness, a coach can look at the previous plays to assess risk for a concussion.

2

3

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the end-zone, offering coaches a different perspective in evaluating the action.

Kelbert purchased his program’s endzone camera from another team in the conference, so instead of the $4,000-plus price tag that it commands new, the cost was closer to $1,000.

The videographer films from a treestand tripod 15-feet above ground in the end zone, and shares film at halftime and postgame.

“You can see spacing and gaps so much better from that perspective,” Kelbert said. “From the side of the field, you can’t see on the far side of the line of scrimmage. The end zone camera gives a really good view of the gaps and where the defense is lining up.”

Kelbert said the end-zone camera has helped him make better in-game adjustments from a play-calling perspective. In one game last year, he noticed an opposing defense reacted the same way to pre-snap motion every time.

He took advantage of it by motioning running backs out of the backfield to move the opposing linebackers to the perimeter. Then Kelbert called running plays up the middle.

THREE BENEFITS OF USING ENDZONE REPLAY

1

CRITIQUING LINE PLAY: It’s difficult to determine if players are staying in their gaps from a sideline view, but the end-zone camera offers a better perspective.

IDENTIFYING COVERAGES: A sideline camera is trained on the offensive player handling the ball.

The end zone camera shows the receivers’ routes and the secondary.

STUDYING A QUARTERBACK’S PROGRESSIONS: The end-zone camera gives an offensive coach a look at how quickly a quarterback makes decisions in the pocket.

2

3

Build a Recruiting Pipeline Columbus East High (Ind.) head coach Bob Gaddis is also the executive director of the Indiana Football Coaches Association. He has established a recruiting pipeline to Division I, II and III and NAIA colleges.

1

Educate parents and players on the process. Parents need to understand

the difference between scholarship football (Division I) and other options (Division II, Division III, NAIA). College coaches who don’t have scholarship money to offer still recruit high school players. Gaddis recommends having a recruiting meeting each year with sophomores and their parents.

2

Encourage parents and players to research. Players and their

parents should research each school on their wish list and take football out of the equation. See if the school is a fit academically, financially and geographically. Create a list of schools that meet the criteria, and share it with the high school coach.

3

Have the player draft a resume.

4

Have the player contact the recruiting coordinator. Contact information for

Recruiting coordinators at colleges have a limited amount of time, so it’s important to include all of the pertinent information in one place. A player’s resume should include height, weight, year in school, age, GPA, test scores, statistics and a link to a highlight video.

college recruiting coordinators is often on the school’s athletics website. Gaddis encourages players to take the initiative in the recruiting process.

“Open the lines of communication and be proactive,” Gaddis said.

5

Reach out to college recruiters on behalf of players. It is important to

recognize which level of college football a player is pursuing. Division I prospects

should jumpstart the recruiting process during their sophomore years.

Gaddis reaches out on behalf of all other prospects in the spring of their junior years.

6

Invite college recruiters to the high school for visits.

7

Host an Open Football Night.

Gaddis estimates he had 30 to 35 recruiters come through Columbus East this fall. About 90 percent had already spoken with the player they were recruiting.

“They stop here because they have open lines of communication,” Gaddis said.

Gaddis hosts a practice session each year in early May for college recruiters.

“The college coaches can see them work out, and see how big and fast they are,” Gaddis said. “Give the college coaches the players’ academic profiles as well.”

8

■■ Columbus East (Ind.) head coach Bob Gaddis

Arrange a player’s official visit to a college campus. If a player is going to

receive a scholarship offer, it typically happens when he’s visiting that particular school’s campus.

“Those one-day recruiting deals are huge because most Division I schools won’t offer a player that hasn’t visited in the summer,” Gaddis said.

9

Look for opportunities for a player to meet other coaches. Schools like Ohio

State and Northwestern host camps for

high school players, and coaches from more than 50 colleges attend to scout and recruit.

“You have to be selective of where you go if you’re getting recruited by multiple schools,” Gaddis said.

10

Let the player and his parents make the decision. Once a player has his

acceptance letters and offers, the coach’s job is to provide information without steering the decision. Gaddis stresses that parents should stress the academic and social fit for the player.

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43

FACILITIES

■■ The Chattanooga Central (Tenn.) locker room upgrades

A NEW SENSE OF PRIDE

C The $13,000 Locker Room Upgrade A first-year Tennessee head coach made it his top priority to improve the team’s locker room.

A connection in the lumber industry, some sweat of his own, and a $13,000 investment sparked an upgrade.

Chattanooga Central (Tenn.) first-year head football Coach Cortney Braswell knew what to expect when he accepted the Purple Pounders job in 2016. Braswell had spent a year at Central before heading off to Bradley Central for the 2015 football season as the Bears defensive coordinator.

When he returned, his top priority for the traditionally enriched Central program was to get his kids a locker room. To reach his goal, Braswell said he took all his concerns to God and asked that His will be done.

“The Bible says in Matthew 21:22 that all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive,” he said. “When I was the defensive coordinator here, the locker room was awful. It was old, outdated and it stunk really badly. In fact, it was the worse one I have ever been in.”

44

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STUMP MARTIN

Thanks to Braswell, coach Glen Carter and volunteers, the Purple Pounders now have an up-to-date locker room that he estimated to be worth more than $40,000. However, he said the overall investment was around $13,000.

This is how the locker room project happened.

A connection with construction workers: Harrison Recreational President Bobby Dunn also got Central a great deal on lumber. Braswell then asked Carter to teach him how to build the lockers and work alongside him until they were all finished.

Help from volunteers: Braswell went to Dunn when he needed manpower after the locker room demolition in May of 2016. Dunn has been tied into athletics on Highway 58 for years and is the only president the Scenic City Youth Football League (more than 90 teams) has ever had.

“If I need manpower, Bobby is always my reach out. He hooked us up to get a good deal on our lumber and the community gave us support.”

A personal touch: The new digs have all-wood lockers, motivational signage that in some cases highlights the top players and teams from more than 100 years of Chattanooga Central football.

“Why would you expect a kid to come to Central if you brought him in the old locker room,” Braswell said.

hattanooga Central football coach Cortney Braswell considers his teams refurbished locker room as a tool to teach many of life’s lessons to his Purple Pounders.

“It’s a vessel and the way we teach rudimentary discipline,” said the former Baylor School and Liberty University running back.

“If a team can’t make sure the locker room is clean, how do you expect them to play football?”

Braswell remembers a practice that his team hit the field ready to go to work and there was one shoe left lying out in the floor of the locker room.

“I mean, I ran the living heck out of them because of that one shoe in the floor,” he said. “I was so disappointed, not in the person who left it in the floor, but the whole team for all of them walking by the shoe and nobody picking it up.”

Braswell said it takes a sense of pride to keep a clean, well-organized locker room.

“I don’t know a team in America that wins with a dirty locker room,” he said.

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FACILITIES To Turf or Not to Turf?

Artificial turf fields promise minimal upkeep and a safe playing surface. What must you know if you’re considering switching from natural grass to synthetic?

Factors to Consider EXPECT SOME MAINTENANCE

While greatly reduced, maintenance isn’t zero, says Mary Helen Sprecher of the non-profit American Sports Builders Association. “Just because something is synthetic turf and it doesn’t need mowing or weeding, does not mean it’s maintenance-free.” Expect to occasionally use machines that redistribute infill or keep blades upright to avoid matting.

MAKE THE RIGHT CALLS

■■ The Burke County (Ga.) turf field

L

School (Powder Springs, Ga.) struggled with wear and tear on its natural-grass field. But after looking into the new-and-improved artificial turf entering the market in the early 2000s, head coach Jimmy Dorsey was convinced his school should change to synthetic.

In 2002, McEachern became one of the first schools in the Southeast to go to artificial turf. Since then, artificial turf fields have exploded across the country, as have options for turf installations.

To Dorsey, the biggest benefit is the ability to play multiple sports on the field without worrying about postponements due to grass quality.

The field has since required one routine replacement, he says, but the original showed minimal wear.

Across the state, Burke County (Waynesboro) just finished its first season on a new field. Head coach Eric Parker echoed Dorsey’s sentiments in needing a hardier

46

ALEX EWALT

ike many programs, McEachern High

With options for infill, cooling materials and turf itself, there are many choices to make.

That’s why, Sprecher says, it’s key to stay in touch with regional vendor reps who know your needs. “Work with a contractor with a tremendous amount of experience in your area.”

Expect at least six weeks for installation.

PLAN AHEAD

Sprecher encourages coaches to make sure they know exactly which sports and activities the field will support, as options for marking the field after installation are limited. “There are fields that are marked for more than one sport, but that’s a decision you need to make on the front end.”

■■ McEachern High (Ga.) coach Jimmy Dorsey

surface due to high traffic.

“No watering, no [painting lines], you don’t have to go out and aerate the field and cut it,” Parker said.

But after recent synthetic field failures, Parker was meticulous when choosing a vendor.

“There are some companies that we looked into … where [the schools] were not real pleased with the service that they got from the company, and the fields went bad a lot quicker than they [should],” Parker said.

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PAY NOW, BENEFIT LATER

The cost of turf will be at least $300,000 and often closer to $1 million. “Rent out that field for different uses to regain your investment,” Sprecher says. Dorsey says the cost of his second field, with foundation work already done, was less than half that of the first project.

WATCH YOUR TURF

Breakage, splitting fibers and discoloration within the first few years of use are all signs you may have a lemon. As a field deteriorates, safety hazards will inevitably increase. You can expect at least an eight- to 10-year guarantee for most products. For more free resources on field quality and safety, visit SportsBuilders.org.

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The organization left a big impression as Cayton took his relationship with Thunder Board to a higher capacity, serving as presidentelect before stepping into his current role.

“I love being part of this,” Cayton said. “I have always been involved in community business.

I enjoy being able to give back. I think everyone should be willing to do something to help someone or a group. It’s not always about money. It’s about volunteering.

“That’s what we do at Thunder Board. We see bigger things happening at Desert Vista and we want to be part of it. I’m very impressed with the parents who step in and take leadership positions.

We don’t get paid. We don’t get gifts. I tell everyone it’s all about the kids. That’s why we do this.”

■■ Car washes are a big source of revenue for the Desert Vista (Ariz.) Thunder Board

T

hunder Board Association, an organization with

501(c)(3) status, provides the sunshine while serving as the clubs’ communicator and mentor. Thunder Board’s purpose is to encourage the communication and sharing of ideas among Desert Vista’s booster clubs, coaches and activity sponsors. It promotes fundraising ideas and establishes policies and procedures to be used for conducting business.

In addition, Thunder Board ensures financial resources are accounted for by reviewing booster club’s reports.

“It’s been a great way to help booster clubs,” president Jeff Cayton said. “We’re like an umbrella. It doesn’t matter the size of the clubs, we’re here to help them all. The football, basketball and band might have the biggest clubs, but we also work with the smaller groups like mountain biking.

“It’s a very unique thing. It seems to make a lot of sense to have one board taking care of things like insurance and helping with fundraising.”

Cayton has been involved with Thunder Board the past five years.

He was introduced to the group when his daughter was on Desert Vista’s dance team. As the booster club’s representative, he got involved by attending meetings regularly and helping with other projects.

48

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HOW THEY COMMUNICATE The Thunder Board has President Jeff Cayton and other elected officers overseeing the operation.

Clubs pay annual dues to be part of Thunder Board. Fees are based on the number of participants in each organization. Through it all, the key to success is communication.

Meetings are held the third Monday of each month. In addition to Thunder Board’s officers, each club sends a representative. However, Cayton says others are welcome to attend.

“We don’t tell clubs how big they can be,” Cayton said. “We don’t tell them what they have to do for fundraising. We give them information at our meeting so they can relay it to their other members. We want to make sure we are all on the same page. We have updates from each club.

We talk about fundraising. If they have a good fundraiser we want them to share the ideas.

Nothing is top secret.”

THUNDER BOARD FUNDRAISERS

A

s the leader of the booster clubs at Desert Vista, Thunder Board has several responsibilities.

Sitting at the top of the list is fundraising. After all, bringing in money is what keeps things running more efficiently.

The key to success is working together.

“Our job is not to say if it is a good or bad idea [on fundraising],” said Thunder Board President Cayton said. “The booster clubs can make their own decisions. We like to share ideas. If they have good success or it goes bad, we want to know.”

One of the more popular ways to raise money is car washes.

Another successful method is getting local businesses involved, especially restaurants.

On a designated night, a participating restaurant helps the club its sponsoring by donating a percentage from each diner’s bill.

Cayton has seen that idea take off at a rapid pace.

‘We’re getting a lot of support from the community,” Cayton said. “When we do our restaurant nights, we’ll have at least 150 families go there. When we ask for help or donations, they don’t shy away.”

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Evidently, it’s catching on rapidly. Since Huddle entered the scene in 2001, more than 10,000 high schools throughout the nation are using the tickets. With the positive feedback, John Vaughn, Senior Vice President for Marketing, expects that number to increase.

“It benefits the schools because we can give them tickets for any event,” Vaughn said. “If they weren’t going through us, schools would have to buy tickets on their own. This way, schools are probably saving $700 to $1,000 a year. It helps because it is sponsorship-driven.

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Vaughn sees this method as a game-changer.

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EDUCATION

Helmet Stickers for Good Grades A coach in San Rafael, Calif., started rewarding his players with helmet stickers when they showed improved performance in the classroom.

DAN GUTTENPLAN The team’s collective attitude about academics changed.

S

an Rafael High (Calif.) coach Ted Cosgriff

wanted his players to make their studies as important as football this season. So, he combined the two by inventing an on-field reward for off-field accomplishments.

Cosgriff started distributing helmet stickers to players who demonstrated success in the classroom. The stickers went to any player who maintained a GPA of 3.0 or above, demonstrated classroom leadership, raised a grade in an AP class, had an outstanding achievement on a difficult exam, or had perfect weekly attendance and completed homework assignments.

“The helmet sticker reinforced the positive of that,” Cosgriff said.

Here are the keys to making the program work: SCHEDULE STUDY HALLS BEFORE PRACTICE. Cosgriff hosted mandatory team study halls two days a week before practice. This allowed him time to

52

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review grades, talk individually with players about their academic struggles, and reach out to teachers on behalf of students who needed additional help.

ACKNOWLEDGE PLAYERS WHO SHOW IMPROVEMENT. Within the first few minutes of study hall, Cosgriff announced all of the recipients of the helmet stickers for that day.

“Everyone cheered, and it really reinforced the thing they were doing well,” Cosgriff said. “It gave them a sense of pride in their grades.”

BE CONSISTENT ABOUT REWARDING PLAYERS. Changing the culture of a team takes time, so coaches should not get frustrated and abandon the plan if it does not produce immediate results.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Cosgriff said. “It’s changing the mindset and the culture, and that’s a long-term process that requires a consistent message.”

SET ATTAINABLE GOALS. Not every student will commit to

maintaining a 4.0 GPA in AP classes.

Start small, encouraging a student to show small improvements.

“Some players were struggling to get passing credits,” Cosgriff said. “Reward them for improvement the same way you would a stronger student.”

PROVIDE A PATH TO COLLEGE. Sixty to 70 percent of Cosgriff’s players are first-generation immigrants to the United States from Latin America.

“College has not always been on the radar for those families – particularly not for multiple generations,” Cosgriff said. “It’s about changing that mindset.”

SHOW THE CORRELATION BETWEEN ACADEMIC AND ATHLETIC SUCCESS. Succeeding on the football field requires many of the same skills as succeeding in the classroom – work ethic, determination, perseverance and focus.

Point out when your players demonstrate those characteristics on the field so they carry that confidence to the classroom.

■■ Pittsburg State (Kan.) assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Dave Wiemers speaks at the Glazier Clinics.

Glazier Clinics CEO Chris Coughlin shared the

Five Benefits of Glazier Clinics

1

Glazier Clinics are offered in locations all over the United States throughout the football offseason.

The clinics provide a forum for personal growth among coaches.

2

DAN GUTTENPLAN

five benefits of attending clinics.

Variety of speakers. The clinics run from Friday afternoon to Sunday mid-day, and at any given time, there are seven to 10 coaches speaking on various topics. Typically, half are NFL or BCSlevel college coaches. The rest include high school coaches.

Networking opportunities. In 2015, coaches from 79 of MaxPreps’ top 100 high school teams attended Glazier Clinics. The conferences give coaches opportunities to trade stories with the best in the business.

The Season Pass. For $459, a coach can get unlimited access to all Glazier Clinics for his entire staff for a

3

year, access to the Glazier Vault, which includes videos and notes from previous speeches, 40-plus vendor discounts and a Strike Special Teams System.

Expanding knowledge. Position coaches or coordinators looking to expand their areas of expertise can attend speeches that focus on topics outside their job descriptions. For example, most Glazier Clinics have speeches about how should approach leadership like a CEO.

4 5

College and continuing education credits.

Glazier Clinics will provide a certificate of attendance for clinics and live webinars upon request. This can then be submitted to your school board or state for CE credits depending upon their policy.

Download the FNF Coaches app from the Apple App Store and Google Play

53

ASSISTANT’S CORNER

■■ The Lubbock Estacado (Texas) coaching staff

five Tips for an Aspiring Head Coach The role of an assistant coach is to serve the head coach and players. However, many assistants have aspirations to become head coaches and need a stage to showcase their ability. FNF Coaches will feature assistant coaches who have learned to balance that difficult load.

DAN GUTTENPLAN

1

Be great at the job you have. Most head

coach will understand if you have greater aspirations than serving as his assistant.

“A head coach will meet with each of his assistants at the end of the season, and this is when you should share your short-term and long-term goals.”

coaches begin their careers as great assistants. Learn everything you can about your area of expertise.

“Most assistants aspire to be coordinators, and most coordinators aspire to be head coaches and athletic directors,” James Vint said. “You’ve got to coach where you are, instead of having one foot in the next job, or you’ll be looking for your next job.”

Lubbock Estacado head coach Marcus Shavers encourages his position coaches to view themselves as head coaches of that position group.

2

3

Don’t escalate situations to the head coach unless appropriate. If

you’re the coach of a position group, and one of your players has a bad attitude at practice, it is your responsibility to help the player. Don’t escalate every problem when you can come up with a solution.

However, when a situation within your position group affects the team as a whole (i.e. injury, suspension), it is appropriate to escalate the situation.

Share your goals with the head coach.

A coaching staff gets stronger with trust and honest communication. A head

4

Always notify the head coach when interviewing for another position. Your

5

Network on behalf of other assistants.

head coach should always hear about your job interviews from you. Don’t let another coach surprise your head coach by calling for a reference.

“The minute you hit send on the application, you need to talk to or text your coach,” Vint said. “Most head coaches will help you. But you never want them to get a call asking about a job candidate if they don’t know about it first.”

Vint once served as an offensive coordinator on a staff, and one of his position coaches was excelling in his position. Vint discovered an opening for an offensive coordinator position, and he called on his position coach’s behalf.

“You want guys on your staff to do that for each other,” Vint said. “Loyalty’s a two-way street, and coaches need that. That’s part of building trust. I’m looking out for opportunities for other coaches, and I hope they’re looking out for opportunities for me.”

JAMES VINT IS THE

offensive line coach at Lubbock Estacado (Texas).

He published a book about RPO installation, “Using RPO’s to Create Explosive Play,” and writes a blog at coachvint.blogspot.com.

Download the FNF Coaches App Now SEARCH: FNF COACHES

54

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

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INSPIRATION molding men: building character Too often stories of inspiration that could provide advice and mentorship get lost in the game itself. One Minnesota coach is building good men within his program for life after football and beyond.

DEREK SMITH

I

t’s highly unlikely many high school coaches

would take time away from practice to teach a life lesson. After all, there are only so many hours in a week to prepare for the upcoming game. In the competitive world of coaching any deviation from the X’s and O’s might raise the suspicions of the administration and the ire of the parents. Coaches have to careful and stick to the game plan or face the possibility of scrutiny to their program and even worse – dismissal.

One coach in Minnesota is not only finding success on the gridiron but is using his own unique methods to teach lessons that his players can use to be productive members of society – exemplary citizens, community leaders, reliable employees, good husbands and fathers.

Two Cornell University studies found high school athletes were seen as having “significantly higher levels of leadership, self-confidence and self-respect” and that there was a “positive relationship between participation in competitive youth sports and several measures of long-term personal success and pro-sociability.”

Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (ACGC) High School coach David Blom is ensuring those results hold true for his team by instilling core values like accountability, caring and respect in innovative ways.

“We’re doing what we can to make these kids better [citizens] in this country in kind of a chaotic time now,” said Blom, 32, who is entering his fourth year as head coach of his alma mater.

“I’ve got a great administration where they are very supportive.”

When Blom heard rumors of drinking among his players, he took a page from the popular documentary “Beyond Scared Straight” to get the attention of the young men.

56

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■■ Atwater-CosmosGrove City coach David Blom

He found a heart-wrenching video on YouTube about an innocent teenage girl killed by a drunk driver. He acted if she was one of his daughters, making the players pretend they were facing the father of the dead girl in court for the first time.

“That was our whole practice that day.

We didn’t go out on the field,” Blom said.

But, it was a video that he produced that caught the attention of parents, administrators and other coaches that validated his efforts to teach responsibility and compassion.

The team danced and lip-synced to One Direction’s song, “Beautiful,” to drive home the point that all women are

beautiful and should be respected.

“I expected them to do this because that’s who we are,” he said.

Blom said he hasn’t faced any backlash or criticism for wanting to do more than just coach the game of football.

“I’m not surprised he’s doing these things because I’ve known him since he was in high school, and that’s the kind of person he is,” said ACGC principal Sherri Broderius. “I would hope all coaches and teachers would do things like this.”

Blom’s team went 4-4 in 2016 and made improvements as the Falcons try to duplicate the success of the 2001 team that won the Class 2A state championship.

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