FNF Coaches 2018 "Form New Strategies"

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The Magazine for High School Football Coaches

2017

COACHES OF THE YEAR

march 2018

FORM NEW STRATEGIES ASSESS YOUR PROGRAM, AND MAKE THE RIGHT CHANGES

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playbook schemes & tactics

+ attacking cover 4 + Fitting Scheme to Personnel + Accounting for Motion + How to Practice Kickoff Coverage North Gwinnett (Ga.) head coach Bill Stewart, the 2017 FNF Coaches Coach of the Year, flanked by seniors (from left) Payne Walker, Jayden McDonald, Jake Stewart and Jimmy Urzua

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10. COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER

geoff collins

2017

TEMPLE HEAD COACH SAW CRASH

COACHES OF THE YEAR 12

DIAGRAM 2

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fundraising

CONTENT

MARCH

LIFTATHON.COM

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strength 34

04. NEWS & NOTES 05. WINNING GEAR 19. COACHING LEGEND: BUTCH PEDERSEN 30. TEAM BUILDING 31. TECHNOLOGY 32. BOOSTER CLUBS 35. NUTRITION 36. EDUCATION 37. ANALYTICS 40. QUOTABLE

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

2018 usa football national conference

38

new-look u.s. national team format

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33

6 ways to engage youth players

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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e are excited to present our March edition of 2018,

which has a theme of “New Strategies.” The football calendar offers coaches an important opportunity to assess their programs in the spring and create new strategies for the upcoming season.

Those strategies might come in the form of X’s and O’s – with a change of scheme, coordinators or playcalling duties. But the new strategies don’t have to be restricted to execution on the field.

Coaches should take a moment in March to consider better ways to get players to engage in the program, better ways to use technology to their advantage, ways to revamp or upgrade the Booster Club or other support systems, ways to involve the youth program, or ways to get players to better perform in the classroom.

A football coach can’t be everything to all people.

But we know he’s expected to try. We try to share stories and advice for coaches who have that incredible responsibility.

While we are certainly proud of the first two publications we’ve produced in 2018, we’re always striving for more. We hope we’ve been informative and provided information you wanted to learn more about. Our goal will always be to help coaches better understand how to succeed at the high school level.

If you would like to learn more about any of the topics we cover in this edition, we’d like to hear from you at fnf@ae-engine.com.

We want to continue to provide you with the information that helps you succeed as a coach, so we’d like to hear your suggestions for content.

Engage with us on our website, FNFCoaches.com, and social media, @FNFCoaches, and tell us your suggestions for feature stories.

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S.A.F.E.Clip works by absorbing impacts to the facemask when impacted!

ON THE FRONT COVER ■■ North Gwinnett (Ga.) head coach Bill Stewart, the 2017 FNF Coaches Coach of the Year, flanked by seniors (from left) Payne Walker, Jayden McDonald, Jake Stewart and Jimmy Urzua

Hobart Mayfield has developed a patented technology that reduces force transferred to the head and neck.

NEWS & NOTES

FLORIDA FOOTBALL COACH HEROIC IN FINAL MOMENTS

F

ootball coach Aaron Feis threw himself in front

USA Football has created a marketing campaign for

of students as bullets hailed down on Feb. 14 at his alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

It would become a final, heroic act undertaken by the assistant coach and security guard, who suffered gunshot wounds and died after he was rushed into surgery, according to the school’s football program and its spokeswoman, Denise Lehtio.

“He died the same way he lived – he put himself second,” Lehtio said. “He was a very kind soul, a very nice man. He died a hero.”

Feis was among 17 people killed when a former student armed with a semi-automatic rifle opened fired on campus, unleashing a massacre that stands among the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history.

It is with great sadness that our football family has learned about the death of Aaron Feis. He was our assistant football coach and security guard. He selflessly shielded students from the shooter when he was shot.

He died a hero and he will forever be in our hearts and memories.”

– M.S. DOUGLAS FOOTBALL @MSDEAGLES

Players in high school who are detected with missing or improperly worn equipment during playing action will be removed from the game for at least one down, unless the improper equipment is directly attributable to a foul by the opponent.

This revision in Rule 1-5-5 and other related rules was one of five rules changes for the 2018 season recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee at its January meeting.

DECREASED PARTICIPATION NUMBERS ACROSS

high school football has led to the increase in 6- and 8-player football teams and more cooperative programs in states like Alaska, Idaho, Michigan and Nebraska.

Idaho has seen a surge in smaller football teams, with the state boasting 47 eight-player football teams. The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) had 60 schools (1,130 participants) playing 8-player football this past season, according to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey. The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) fielded even more teams with 120 schools (2,957) playing 8-player football.

04

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#poweroffootball, offering coaches a chance to document why football is so important in their respective towns. The theme is “The Power of Football — tradition; brotherhood; moments; community.” Football’s positive impact transcends communities across the U.S. — both on and off the field. Share your stories with us at poweroffootball.org and on social media by using the hashtag #poweroffootball

NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WILL

experiment with voluntary video replay review in the 2018 season, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association announced.

Officials will be able to access replays using Hudl Sideline — an application that syncs live game film across devices, such as tablets or smartphones used by players and coaches on the bench or coaches’ booth — to review game tape and potentially reverse calls made on the field. Coaches frequently use the replay software to gain a competitive advantage during games.

What’s Trending?

H

ere’s a collection of the latest buzz we’re hearing on our Twitter feed (@FNFCoaches).

WHEREVER YOU GO, MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE MAJOR YOU WANT BECAUSE FOOTBALL IS AWESOME – AND I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT – BUT AN EDUCATION IS PRICELESS. #LIFEAFTERFOOTBALL” @COACH_STONE_MT THERE WILL BE UPS AND DOWNS! KEEP WORKING HARD NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE ON THE DEPTH CHART. FOCUS ON THE DEGREE!” @MALCOLM_FOREMAN

YOU BETTER TRAIN LIKE A MAN POSSESSED IN THE SUMMER TO GET IN THE BEST SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE, BECAUSE YOU ONLY THINK YOU’VE WORKED HARD BEFORE.” @COACHHRNCIR DOUG PEDERSON WAS A HIGH SCHOOL COACH EIGHT YEARS AGO. CHAD MORRIS, GUS MALZAHN, ART BRILES: H.S. COACHES FIRST! THINK GREAT COACHING DOESN’T HAPPEN AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL? THINK AGAIN. PARENTS AND ATHLETES DON’T NEED TO OUTSOURCE TRAINING AND RECRUITING. TRUST YOUR H.S. COACHES.” @PULASKIFOOTBALL

WINNING GEAR

Football players and coaches are always looking for the best equipment, nutrition and technology to help their team reach its full potential. Here are some products to consider this season.

S.A.F.E. CLIP S.A.F.E. Clip is a revolutionary new product that works by allowing the facemask to move slightly when impacted. Our cutting-edge design and materials allow the force to be absorbed and reduced, preventing that force from going to the wearer’s head and neck.

Once the impact has been absorbed, S.A.F.E Clip then returns to it’s original or “ready” position to absorb the next impact.” Visit hobartmayfield.com.

USA FOOTBALL AND FOCUS 3 LEADERSHIP SYSTEM Average leaders use quotes. Good leaders use plans. Elite leaders use systems. Create a culture that drives champion level results. Available online exclusively through its partnership with USA Football, get access to the same leadership program used by leading collegiate and high school programs nation.

What You Receive: ■■ 16 total courses ■■ Access to a discounted offering of the R Factor (E + R = O) and Lead Now programs Start your courses today at usafootball.com/focus3.

PORTA PHONE TD 900 SERIES WIRELESS HEADSETS WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF

the TD 900, Porta Phone has taken our time-honored “Allin-One” headset concept to the next level. The TD900 has rugged construction and the extra transmitting power allowable for wireless systems operating in the 900 MHz band.

These revolutionary headsets operate without a base station or beltpacks and allow coaches to talk simultaneously in a handsfree, open-line pattern.

They utilize the 900 MHz band, a frequency range free of “RF clutter,” where the allowable power output is more than double that of standard wireless systems.

The TD 900 system delivers coaches both the superior punchout power capable of penetrating thick pressbox glass and concrete while delivering high definition digital audio performance.

Visit portaphone.com to learn more, or call Porta Phone at 1-800-233-1113.

OX SPORTS OX Sports™ provides a powerful, one-stop, team management solution that allows all key personnel and players within your program to quickly analyze, manage, and communicate. Create digital scouting reports, manage documents with E-signature, confirm learning with quizzes and knowledge assessments, create complete rosters and depth charts, stay in touch with team chats, and more! oxsports.com

HONEY STINGER Organic Honey Stinger Waffles are the perfect half-time or pre-game football energy food! Honey is rich in carbohydrates, making it the ideal fuel for working muscles. Loaded with simple sugars and simple carbohydrates, these waffles digest light keeping the athletes quick on their feet. These tasty sports nutrition snacks are already widely used by many collegiate and pro teams. To learn how to purchase these waffles for your high school team at exclusive pricing, contact Mac at mkelly@honeystinger.com.

2ND SKULL Look like the pros, with added protection! The 2nd Skull Cap fits comfortably under any sports helmet, and offers: ■■ Impact Absorbing Technology ■■ Spandex-fabric blend for a stretchable but compressive fit ■■ Moisture-wicking fabrics for sweat management ■■ Antimicrobial treatment for anti-odor ■■ Hand washable ■■ Permitted for high school use in football, baseball, hockey and lacrosse Also recommended for BMX, skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding and other activities Visit 2ndskull.com.

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05

USA FOOTBALL

New-look U.S. National Team Format Coming this Summer ELIMINATION OF DEVELOPMENT GAMES MAKES PROCESS MORE PLAYER- AND COACH-FRIENDLY The U.S. development process will change this summer. In recent years, athletes went to one of the many USA Football regionals across the country, then to a weeklong event that culminated in a modified game. Now, the weeklong event has been removed, replaced by an optional three-day event.

■■ More than 1,000 players participated in International Bowl IX, hosted by USA Football.

In January, more than 1,000 football players from across the globe took the field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for International Bowl IX, hosted by USA Football. Athletes from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark made the trip, to compete at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in 12 different games over three days.

“Two years ago, we only had six games, so it shows how fast we’ve grown and how football is growing worldwide,” said U.S. National Team Senior Manager Aaron Ingram, primary architect of American player development and selection for the event. “You see the improvement of Japan, the emergence of a Nordic team, how excited Mexico was when they took the field, and you see how impressive our teams were – the quality of player and as people.

“We saw high-caliber kids this year who will shape football’s future.”

The U.S. went 7-3 against international competition, including the Under-19 National Team’s 47-7 win over Team Canada in the grand finale, but the Community Blitz – where players spent time at Dallas-area hospitals, a mission and a school for students with intellectual disabilities – impressed Ingram the most.

“More than the scoreboard, by far,” Ingram said. “Those guys came in and had a ball, and many are still reaching out, saying it was the best day of their lives. It was great to see the kids’ faces, and our guys’ faces.”

International Bowl’s expansion is largely due to the cultivation and maintenance of foreign team contacts by Ingram and his staff.

“It’s a lot of calls. I’ve become an

international man of mystery,” Ingram said. “It’s really fun, and to see the work our staff put into it, and those teams show up and have a great time and experience, it was awesome.”

The U.S. development process will change this summer. In recent years, athletes went to one of the many USA Football regionals across the country, then to a weeklong event that culminated in a modified game. From there, teams ages U-14 to U-19 were selected for International Bowl.

Now, the once-required middle step has been removed, replaced by an optional three-day event packed with drills, scrimmages and film sessions with top-level high school and college coaches.

“Every year we look at the landscape as a whole in football, and how we fit in it as the National Team,” Ingram said.

“We needed to become more financially friendly, more coach-friendly and more contact-friendly. I think we’ve done that.”

Last year’s regionals drew more than 6,000 players. In this year’s 24 regionals, players will compete against high-level athletes, and train with college coaches and former NFL players and coaches, while getting a chance to try out for a U.S. National Team.

The regionals begin in March and run through early June, so not to conflict with the busy schedule when school lets out.

“We don’t want our kids to have to make a choice between us and college camps.

We always tell them if they have an opportunity to go to those, go,” Ingram said.

The three regionals in July will take place at the University of TexasArlington, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and a California site to be determined.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS YEAR’S U.S. NATIONAL TEAM REGIONALS, OR TO SUBMIT A PLAYER NOMINATION, LOG ON TO:

06

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

USAFOOTBALL.COM/EVENTS/REGIONAL

WHY GET CERTIFIED? USA Football empowers coaches to plan their professional development through easy-to-access certification opportunities and training resources within its Heads Up Football for schools program – the most comprehensive and widely endorsed player safety program in the nation.

1 FURTHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT All USA Football certifications are created with leading football and medical experts. Our courses are focused on providing the right content to make you a better coach and create a safer experience for your student-athletes.

2 RECEIVE INSTRUCTION FROM NFL EXPERTS Get a complete foundation to better, safer contact techniques. Courses include instruction from Rocky Seto, former Seattle Seahawks assitant coach and Scott Peters, former NFL offense lineman and contact expert.

3 ACCESS ADVANCED TECHNIQUES Courses features advanced techniques and in-game and in-practice examples from NFL, college, and top high school teams across the nation – allowing you to learn from the best.

4 IT’S EASY-TO-ACCESS All courses are on NFHSLearn.com making it easy to access. Even more, USA Football certifications allow you to fulfill all or most of your state, school, and district requirements at one place at one time.

About the Heads Up Football Middle & High School Certification

Brought to you by NFHS and USA Football, this certification encompasses student-athlete health protocols as well as skill development. Using football experts Scott Peters and Rocky Seto, the certification includes blocking, defeating blocks, tackling (with an advanced shoulder tackle option), and equipment fitting. Curriculum also features all-sport relevant topics of concussion recognition and response, heat emergency preparedness and protocols for sudden cardiac arrest.

Lead the change in your program – become certified today.

Learn more at usafootball.com/certification.

FUNDRAISING

Use LiftaThon.Com to Raise Big Money with Less Effort

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

High school coaches can use LiftaThon.com to help maximize their fundraising effort that brings out the competitive spirit in athletes while eliminating the liability and hassle of athletes collecting cash personally from donors.

■■ Johns Creek (Ga.) coach Matt Helmerich is flanked by the winners of the “Battle for the Belt” Liftathon competition.

HOW IT WORKS

L

iftaThon.com offers custom online fundraising campaigns that

are designed to help maximize teams’ Lift-a-thon results. The company’s “ALL IN” fundraising software creates a personal pre-designed fundraising page for each athlete, allows athletes to email, text, and post their fundraising page to potential donors, as well as automatically sends thank you emails and receipts during the campaign.

Johns Creek High (Ga.) partnered up with LiftaThon.com in 2017 in Matt Helmerich’s first season as head coach. In previous seasons, Johns Creek organized a letter writing fundraising campaign for its Lift-A-Thon and brought in approximately $27,000 in revenue each season.

Last season, LiftaThon.com representatives visited Johns Creek at the start of the campaign to help set up individual fundraising pages for each player. The players sent out requests for donations to friends and family, and the team eclipsed its fundraising total from the previous two seasons combined – with more than $51,000 in profits.

“This was our first time using online donations and it won’t be our last,” Helmerich said. “With very little work on our end, we successfully raised more money than the two previous fundraisers combined.”

Terry Brooks of LiftaThon.com helped design the software that provides support for players as they fulfill their marketing and fundraising responsibilities.

“It’s hard enough for a high school kid to be a high school kid – much less a knocking on doors as a saleseman,” Brooks said.

08

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

8 BENEFITS OF USING LIFTATHON.COM

1

INTER-TEAM COMPETITION. Any offseason event that pits players against each other to show off their strength and conditioning gains is a worthwhile endeavor.

Players receive $ Flat Donations for their event in exercises varying from the squat to bench press.

THE PROCEEDS. There are fewer expenses when the fundraising effort is organized online rather than mailing letters and spending gas money tracking down payments.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Every player has his own personal fundraising page,

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3

so he can customize it as he wishes and take responsibility for bringing in donations toward his personal fundraising goal.

AUTOMATED EMAILS. LiftaThon. com automatically resends reminder emails to donors, and personalized thank you and receipts to those who supported.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT. LiftaThon. com has a dedicated campaign manager to personally help the Coaches and Booster club as well as a toll free hotline for any donors or parents.

OFFSEASON EXCITEMENT. The Johns

4 5

6

Creek staff brought the weights for the Lift-A-Thon Challenge into the school’s gymnasium, sold concessions, played music, and made it a fan event for the local community.

AUTOMATIC PAYMENT. Players don’t have to chase down money after the Lift-A-Thon like they would in a letterwriting campaign. The donors can choose a flat donation amount and support via credit card or check.

THANK YOU AND RECEIPTS. LiftaThon.com sends receipts and personalized thank you emails to all donors automatically once they support.

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EVERYONE CONTRIBUTES EQUALLY

B

rooks has found that the LiftaThon.com formula often results in a shared division of labor among players when it comes to fundraising.

“With fundraising, it typically comes down to the 80/20 ratio,” Brooks said. “Twenty percent of the people do 80 percent of the heavy lifting. This goes against that.

Everyone has parents, grandparents and former coaches they can reach out to in a tactful way.”

The inter-team LiftaThon.com competition can also ensure that all players are contributing. Some schools have a “Battle for the Belt” on competition day. Championship belts are awarded to the player who lifts the highest number of total pounds and the player who raises the most money.

“A lot of schools do the bench press and squat,” Brooks said.

“They also reward the kid who raises the most money with Ric Flair championship belts.”

Brooks believes the key to the whole operation is the personalization of the individual

player campaign pages that include the personalized thank you emails that are emailed to anyone that supports.

“If you don’t thank your grandparents, you better not ask again,” Brooks said. “Why it works so well is we take care of the thank you receipts. We really work well for teams that do the lift-a-thons already, because we know how to collect donations and handle all the back end responsibilities so their booster club can focus on other things.”

COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER

5 TEAM BUILDING DRILLS

C

ollins designates a three-week period between the recruiting period and spring break for teambuilding activities. He plans five unique workouts to build camaraderie among the players. Those activities include:

Q&A

with Geoff Collins, Temple head Coach

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

G

eoff Collins earned ECAC Coach of the Year in his

first season as Temple’s head coach in 2017.

Collins navigated through a midseason quarterback change and led the Owls to three wins in the last four games to gain bowl eligibility. Prior to coming to Temple, Collins was the only coach to be a Broyles Award nominee, given to the nation’s best assistant coach, at three schools – FIU (2010), Mississippi State (2014) and Florida (2015).

Collins offered his thoughts on coaching football in a recent interview with FNF Coaches.

What is your process for evaluating your program during the offseason?

We’re going through it right now. Once we finish National Signing Day, we take two days off to allow ourselves to regroup and be with our families. Then we’re diving into cut-ups. We watch all of those things. We create a self-scouting notebook for both sides of the ball and special teams.

Broad Street Bullies:

What coverages worked? What plays worked?

What led us to win? What led us to losses? We’ll go through rushing yardage, turnovers, penalties.

We’re analyzing to find the real reasons we played well or played poorly. We address those in the offseason. We turn over every stone. Our graduate assistants have been hammering away at it for a month, finding our tendencies.

Do you do anything from a professional development standpoint? Any networking?

What we do is Temple Think Tanks. We invite different staffs from every conference in the country. They come to Philadelphia. Our first one is the defensive staff and head coach from Indiana. Then it’s Vanderbilt, then West Virginia.

We have a bunch of school coming. We sit around and talk football for 12 hours. Here’s what we’re facing on offense, and here’s how we handle it. It’s a roundtable, and then we just to another topic.

Each person presents for 30 minutes. It’s an open forum with people sharing what they’re doing.

We share ideas. Last year, we had Penn State and the Philadelphia Eagles defensive staff, along with six or seven staffs. We make sure there are no common opponents so everybody is free to share information.

Do you doing anything out of the ordinary with your strength and conditioning program?

What we do in-season is different from anywhere I’ve been, and I’ve been a lot of great places.

Our in-season schedule is as good as anywhere I’ve been. In-season, the guys who play 50 to 70 snaps a game will have a traditional plan with two lifts a week. The guys that play between 15 and 30 plays

10

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Some members of the 1970’s Philadelphia Flyers led a hockey-style workout for the players.

The workout went for almost two hours.

Signing Day 5-Star Workout: In the spirit of

Signing Day, the Temple players do a five-star workout with agility drills at 5 a.m. This allows the coaches to be present for the official start at Signing Day at 7 a.m.

Fireman’s Academy:

Members of the Philadelphia Fire Department lead a rigorous workout from the Academy. It builds team work.

Protect the House: The players meet at Temple’s football stadium and do stair climbs, making sure each player touches every step in the stadium. “We want to protect the house and so that’s a way to drill that home,” Collins said.

Bon Voyage Workout: On the Friday before the start of spring break, the Temple players meet for a final workout. “It reminds them how important it is to take care of their bodies,” Collins said.

“It builds togetherness above and beyond.”

HIGH POWER for MAXIMUM RANGE

a week are on a developmental plan.

They lift three days a week. The guys who play 15 snaps or less are lifting five times a week. One of the lifts is a Friday morning 6 a.m. team bonding lift. We’re a developmental program, and we maximize the development of our players. Guys went up 50 pounds in the power clean in-season, which is unheard of.

Squats went up. That’s an advantage most programs don’t offer.

No Beltpack or Base Station!

What more can high school coaches do to help with the recruiting process?

High school coaches have to be involved with the families, kids and college coaches. They have to be engaged. The best success high school coaches have in recruiting is when they’re intimately involved.

They understand what’s real and what’s not real. They also know the kid as a football player and a person. They can help guide and steer the kid. A coach can see the big picture better than parents, uncles or mentors. They have to be actively involved in helping the kids. The worst thing a player can do is take advice from someone that doesn’t know the business or truth about how different programs run. We all got into this profession because we love kids and want to see people make great decisions for their future. A coach that takes a hands-off approach in recruiting can’t be involved with parents and kids. We know the kids better and understand the system and culture that kid needs to be a part of.

What’s the best way to become proficient at time management in-season?

Have a process. Go into the season understanding the process. Which day is red zone? Which day is third down? What is the structure of the week time-wise? Throughout the season, perfect the process.

Whenever the time constraints change, evolve the process. Have it and stick to it. I know exactly what I’m doing at 7 o’clock on a Tuesday night. I know that now. You don’t get that time back. Stick to it, and as the season progresses, work to perfect it.

YOUR CONNECTION TO THE

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COACHING COMMUNITY

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Villavicencio, (from left) Abraham center) poses withZachary Soto and Michael Donalaya.

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11

2017

COACHES OF THE YEAR A

t FNF Coaches, we understand the commitment and sacrifice that go into leading a football team. In this edition, we

honor the coaches that have led their respective teams to the ultimate prize – a state championship.

In each of the 50 states, we identified state-champion coaches who defied the odds in 2017. Some coaches lifted their teams to a state title for the first time in school history. Others bridged lengthy gaps between state-championship runs, bringing their respective programs back to prominence. Finally, other coaches inspired laser-focus in their athletes to continue proud winning traditions.

Congratulations to these deserving coaches!

STATE

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri

12

HIGH SCHOOL

COACH

Sweet Water Soldotna Thatcher Pulaski Academy Strathmore Pomona St Joseph Smyrna Chaminade-Madonna North Gwinnett Hilo Carey Lincoln-Way East Columbus East Van Meter Holcomb Franklin-Simpson West Feliciana Scarborough Dunbar St. John’s Shrewsbury Clarkston Spring Grove Jefferson Davis County Christian Bros. College High

Pat Thompson Galen Brantley Jr. Sean Hinton Kevin Kelley Jeromy Blackwell Jay Madden Joe DellaVecchia Michael Judy Dameon Jones Bill Stewart Kaeo Drummundo Lane Kirkland Rob Zvonar Bob Gaddis Eric Trudo Kent Teeter Doug Preston Robb Odom Lance Johnson Lawrence Smith John Andreoli Kurt Richardson Zach Hauser Lance Mancuso Scott Pingel

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STATE

Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

HIGH SCHOOL

COACH

Columbia Falls Omaha North Liberty Winnacunnet Montclair Ruidoso Skaneateles Harding Wyndmere-Lidgerwood Minster Bishop McGuinness Clackamas Cathedral Prep La Salle Academy Dillon Sioux Falls Christian Alcoa Cy-Fair Lehi St. Johnsbury Academy Salem O’Dea Bluefield Green Bay Notre Dame Mountain View

Ty Morgan Larry Martin Richard Muraco Ron Auffant John Fiore Kief Johnson Joe Sindoni Sam Greiner Scott Strenge Geron Stokes Justin Jones Joe Bushman Mike Mischler Geoff Marcone Jackie Hayes Jake Pettengill Gary Rankin Ed Pustejovsky Ed Larson Richard Alercio Stephen Magenbauer Monte Kohler Fred Simon John Nowak Brent Walk

HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR

■■ North Gwinnett (Ga.) coach Bill Stewart led his team to the first state championship in school history.

BILL STEWART, NORTH GWINNETT (GEORGIA) Bill Stewart couldn’t have had a better finish to his first season as North Gwinnett (Ga.) head coach; a field goal as time expired gave the Bulldogs their first state championship in school history.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Bill Stewart had no illusions about the ultimate goal when he accepted the head coaching position at North Gwinnett last February.

The former Mill Creek defensive coordinator needed to lead the Bulldogs to their first state championship in school history. North had come close twice before, losing in the finals to Lowndes in 2007 and Norcross in 2013.

Stewart achieved his goal in Year 1, leading North to the Class AAAAAAA state championship with a win over Colquitt County.

North became the sixth school since Brookwood in 1996 to win a state title in Georgia’s largest classification — along with Parkview (four titles),

Brookwood (two), Grayson (two), Norcross (two) and Peachtree Ridge (one).

FNF Coaches selected Stewart as the 2018 National Coach of the Year for his immediate impact on the North Gwinnett program.

“From the beginning of the year, we focused on culture,” Stewart said. “It was about getting everybody to buy in. Our team got connected at our summer camp. That was one of the main places. It was a unifying moment for the team.”

Stewart felt the turning point of the season came in Week 2 when North overcame a 14-point deficit against Milton to earn its first win of the season. Quarterback Cade Fortin broke his leg in the game, and Jimmy Urzua came on in relief to key the victory. North started the season with a 31-28 loss to Walton before running off 14 straight wins.

“We lost our quarterback and had two linebackers out at the time,” Stewart said. “We had just lost to Walton in the last second, and we had to win that one in the last second. We finished off really strong. By the end of the season, I felt we really knew how to finish games.”

Stewart had some head coaching experience prior to serving as defensive coordinator at Mill Creek from 2014-16. As head coach at Etowah (Ga.) from 2006-11, he led the team to six state playoff berths in six seasons. Stewart also played football professionally in the Arena Football League after a successful college career at Central Florida.

COACH OF THE YEAR PROFILE Name: Bill Stewart Age: 49 Team: North Gwinnett (Ga.) Accomplishment: Led team to Georgia Class AAAAAAA state championship 2018 record: 14-1 Career record: 55-27

Years at North Gwinnett: 1 Offensive scheme:

Spread/RPO

Defensive scheme: 4-3 Former position:

Defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and strength and conditioning coach at Mill Creek Education: Graduated from Armwood (Fla.) High School; earned degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida Family: Wife Nichole; son Jake, 18; daughters Kendall, 15 and Emma, 11 In his words: “We got really close as a team over the course of the season. Every moment can bring you closer, whether it’s the strength and conditioning part, practice or games. Every day, you’re building your culture. It builds the character you need to win football games.”

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13

FNF COACHES: COACHES OF THE YEAR

PENNSYLVANIA

Mike Mischler, Cathedral Prep

M

ike Mischler helped Cathedral Prep

(Pa.) cap an unprecedented two-year run of success in 2017 by leading the squad to its second consecutive Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association AAAA state championship.

Mischler’s squad extended its school-record winning streak to 28 games with the state championship game victory over Imhotep Charter at Hersheypark Stadium. Mischler was named Pennsylvania AAAA Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. Mischler’s 2017 team finished the season ranked third in the nation by Catholic Athletes for Christ.

“Mike is an excellent coach who knows the game inside and out, and his historic two-year run which includes a schoolrecord 28 straight wins and back to back state championships only validates that,” said Prep Director of Athletics Bill Flanagan. “What separates Mike from so many others is his true love and passion for the kids he coaches. Without question, that leadership style is the reason the Cathedral Prep football program has been so successful.”

Mischler is in his second stint as head coach at Cathedral Prep –

the most recent of which began in 2009. During his first stint from 1998 to 2004, he led Prep to the first of four PIAA AAAA state championships during his tenure. He was named PIAA AAAA Coach of the Year that season, and Prep earned the No. 2 ranking in the nation by ESPN and No. 4 by USA Today.

Since his return in 2009, Mischler has led Prep to three more state championships – in 2012, 2016 and 2017. He was named PIAAA AAA Coach of the Year in 2012, and AAAA Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2017.

Cathedral Prep has a regular season record of 172-39 under Mischler and a playoff mark of 44-15. Mischler’s resume also includes six championship game appearances, nine Western Final appearances, 12 District 10 titles, and 14 Metro-League/ Region titles. Mischler has sent more than 100 of his former players to college to play football.

Between his stints at Cathedral Prep, Mischler served as the head coach at Iroquois High from 2006-2008. Mischler is an alumnus of Cathedral Prep, where he served as a captain of the school’s first Division 10 championship team in 1986.

A lifetime resident of Erie, Pa., Mischler graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1991. He has been married to wife Mary for 25 years. The couple has five children – Melissa, 23; Katherine, 22; Michelle, 19; Joseph, 18; and Kelly 16. Melissa graduated from Penn State last spring, while Katherine and Michelle are currently enrolled at University Park. Joseph is a senior at Cathedral Prep, and Kelly is a sophomore at VMA.

Cathedral Prep high School Congratulations to Prep’s Mike Mischler on Being Selected a FNF Coaches Magazine Coach of the Year BEST COACH IN THE STATE FOUR-TIME STATE CHAMPION

TEXAS

Ed Pustejovksy, Cy-Fair High

E

d Pustejovsky delivered the crowning

achievement in 2017 on a storied coaching career, lifting Cy-Fair (Texas) to the first state championship in the program’s nearly 80-year history.

Cy-Fair toppled Midway 51-35 to win the Class 6A Division II state championship at AT&T Stadium. Prior to 2017, Cy-Fair’s pride and joy was its lone 1985 state semifinal banner hanging in the gym. The 2017 Cy-Fair team was the first from Cypress Fairbanks ISD to win a state title.

Pustejovsky collected numerous awards following the historic season for the program. He was named 2017 17-6A Coach of the Year, 2017 Touchdown Club Coach of the Year, 2017 TWSA Coach of the Year, and earned a nomination for Houston Sports Awards Coach of the Year. Pustejovsky also earned 17-6A Coach of the Year in 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2013.

The veteran coach started his career at Cy-Fair in 1981 as the offensive line coach – a role he held for 23 years. He became the head coach in 2004, and has led Cy-Fair to a record of 116-53.

Pustejovsky, a four-year letterman for Texas A&M University, has been married to his wife Marianne for 24 years.

The coach has four children and four grandchildren.

BOBCAT FIGHT NEVER DIES! Congratulations to Coach Pustejovsky and the 2017 6A-DII Texas state champions!

NEW JERSEY

John Fiore, Monclair High

I

n 2017, John Fiore led Montclair High to a

New Jersey state championship for the fourth time during his sevenyear tenure as head coach. Montclair clinched the North 1, Group 5 state title with a 35-14 win over Union City at MetLife Stadium.

Fiore also led Montclair to state championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He has a career record of 139-57-1 in his 17 seasons as a head coach. Fiore, who also serves as the president of the New Jersey Football Association, accepted the position at Montclair in 2010 after a four-year stint as head coach at Neptune High (2006-09). Fiore spent two years (2004-05) as head coach at Marlboro High after starting his head coaching career at Spotswood in 2000.

Fiore coached in the New Jersey North-South Game in 2002 and 2015, the Snapple Bowl in 2002, and the Governor’s Bowl in 2004. He began his coaching career as an assistant varsity coach at Paramus High in 1995.

Fiore earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Monclair State University. Montclair High assistant coach Jamie Bittner describes Fiore as “relentless” in his efforts of getting his student-athletes into college.

baristanet.com

John Fiore

Montclair High School Congratulations Coach Fiore on your FNF Coaches magazine New Jersey Coach of the Year Award!

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15

FNF COACHES: COACHES OF THE YEAR

WASHINGTON

Monte Kohler, O’Dea High School

O

’Dea High (Wash.) coach Monte Kohler

returned to the pinnacle of coaching in 2017 by earning his fourth career state championship. The 32-year O’Dea coach claimed his first since 1995, capping a 22-year stretch between championships.

O’Dea posted a 38-11 victory over Rainier Beach in the 3A state title game in the Tacoma Dome.

With his fourth title, Kohler now trails only former Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff’s 11 titles for most in 3A state tournament history. Kohler also has the second-most wins in state history with a 324-53 career record. Only Tumwater coach Sid Otton (394-132 career record) has more wins, although Otton has 16 years of head coaching experience on Kohler.

Kohler’s teams have appeared in nine state championship games, with state titles coming in 1991, 1994, 1995 and 2017. In his 33 years of coaching, he’s accumulated 25 league or division championships and 29 state tournament appearances.

Kohler’s teams have also been named academic state champions three times (1993, 1995, 1999). He was inducted into

O’Dea High School’s Wall of Fame in 2000, the Washington State Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame in 2014.

The Montana native is traditional and old school: He grew up in the Catholic school system and continued through college. The values that circulate throughout his O’Dea football program focus on teamwork and self-accountability.

Kohler was a quarterback at Loyola (Sacred Heart) High School, then went on to play two seasons at Carroll College.

His first coaching gig was at tiny Opheim High School, which played eight-man football up near the Canadian border in northeast Montana. He coached there three seasons, the final two as the head coach.

Kohler’s teams have normally featured a powerful rushing attack on offense, and a disruptive, hard-hitting front seven on defense. That is how they won three 3A titles in five seasons — 1991, 1994 and 1995.

This year’s team was no different: In the state championship game, the Irish (12-1) had a 61-37 edge on plays, and didn’t allow Rainier Beach a single third-down conversion. O’Dea held the Vikings to 192 total yards.

Kohler has served as O’Dea’s athletic director for 33 years and teaches A.P. History. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Jana, son John-Edward, daughter Cody-Marie, stepdaughter Ashley, and step-son Race. Monte and Jana also have two grandchildren: John-Phillip and Parker-Marie.

CONGRATULATIONS COACH KOHLER

AND THE 0’DEA FIGHTING IRISH 3A WASHINGTON STATE CHAMPIONS!

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Ron Auffant, Winnacunnet

R

on Auffant led Winnacunnet to the first

undefeated season (12-0) in school history and the program’s first New Hampshire Division I state championship in 2017. Winnacunnet beat Pinkerton Academy, 41-21, in the state championship game Nov. 18 at Wildcat Stadium at UNH. Prior to 2017, Winnacunnet last won a state championship in 2012, albeit a Division II title. On Feb. 11, 2018, Auffant was awarded the Walter A. Smith Coaches Award by the Union Leader Corporation for coaching football and basketball. He also earned 2017 All-USA New Hampshire Coach of the Year Award, as presented by USA Today, and 2017 Division I Coach of the Year, presented by the New Hampshire Sports Page.

Auffant took over as head coach at Winnacunnet in 2004 after spending four years as defensive coordinator. In addition to leading the program to a Division II state championship in 2012, he led Winnacunnet to Division II championship game appearances in 2004, 2007, and 2010.

Auffant has been a health and physical education teacher at Winnacunnet High since 2000. Prior to joining Winnacunnet, Auffant coached at Newport High, Hanover High and Kearsage High, from 1988 to 1999.

Congratulations Coach Auffant

and the 2017 Winnacunnet Football team on your undefeated Division I Championship season.

CONNECTICUT

Joe DellaVecchia, St Joseph High

J

oe DellaVecchia led St Joseph High to the

fifth state championship in his 20year tenure as head coach in 2017.

St Joseph beat Ansonia, 42-36, in the CIAC Class S State Championship.

DellaVecchia also led St Joseph to state championships in 2009 (Class SS), 2010 (Class S), 2013 (Class M) and 2014 (Class M). The St Joseph High alumnus was a state champion as a player as well, in 1980, and as an assistant coach in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

DellaVecchia, who has 134 career wins as head coach at St Joseph, earned a number of awards in 2017, including Connecticut High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year. He was also named New York Giants Coach of the Week on Sept. 8, 2017. He also received the FCIAC Coach of Excellence Award for the eighth time in 2017.

DellaVecchia is a member of the CIAC Football Executive Board and serves on the National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete Committee. His teams participate annually in the American Heart Association and Breast Cancer Awareness Walks. They also support the Wounded Warrior Project and host Unified Flag Football Clinics for Special Olympic Athletes as well as volunteer at the Unified Sports Golf events.

Congratulations

Coach Joe DellaVecchia and the St Joseph High School Football Team on their 2017 Connecticut CLASS ‘S’ STATE CHAMPIONSHP

ST JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL ‘WIN EVERYDAY’ CONNECTICUT STATE CHAMPIONS 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017

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17

FNF COACHES: COACHES OF THE YEAR

IDAHO

Lane Kirkland, Carey High

C

arey High (Idaho) coach Lane Kirkland

capped off the 2017 season by lifting the Panthers to their first state championship since 2010. With a 50-42 win over Tri Valley in the Idaho 1A Division II state championship game, the Panthers finished undefeated (12-0) for the first time since 2008, and won their sixth state title in the Idaho High School Activities Association era.

Kirkland, who boasts a career record of 145-35, took over the program from his father, Heber Kirkland, in 2001. He had big shoes to fill; his father won two state championships with Carey.

Lane Kirkland now boats 10 state trophies in his 17 years as head coach at Carey. As a program, Carey has won six state championships, made five other appearances in state championship games, and finished in third place five other times.

Playing in the Sawtooth Conference in Southern Idaho, Carey routinely churns out some of the state’s top prospects.

Last year was no exception, led by junior Porter Mecham, who was named Idaho 1A High School Player of the Year.

Kirkland has coached in several Shrine Bowl All-Star games. His love for the game and focus on teamwork and sportsmanship, has made Carey one of the most popular 8-man programs in the state.

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Congratulations

Coach Lane Kirkland and the Carey Panthers High School Football team on their 2017 Idaho 1ADII State Championship “WHAT DOESN’T CHALLENGE US, WON’T CHANGE US” IDAHO STATE CHAMPIONS 1994, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2017

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The New Jersey state champion Bergen Catholic coaching staff includes (front, from left) Joe DiFilippo, Al Nittoli, Ralph La Testa and Guy Bertola; (rear) Dan Nastasi, Tony DeBellis, Fred Stengel, Anthony Muir, Head Coach Nunzio Campanile, Zach Sparber, Ron Carti, Ed Van Curen and Phil Fusco. Photo courtesy Dave Rubel/NJ Sports Media

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+ attacking cover 4 + Fitting Scheme to Personnel + Accounting for Motion + How to Practice Kickoff Coverage North Gwinnett (Ga.) head coach Bill Stewart, the 2017 FNF Coaches Coach of the Year, flanked by seniors (from left) Payne Walker, Jayden McDonald, Jake Stewart and Jimmy Urzua

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COACHING LEGEND

IN HIS WORDS What advice would you offer a 25-year-old version of yourself?

“I was too hard on kids when I started. Now, if I have to give a kick in the butt, I give him a hug before he goes home. You can get on kids – kids want discipline.

Young coaches have a tendency to want to be friends with the players. You have to be disciplined and organized, but also develop relationships with athletes.”

What mistakes do you see coaches make the most?

“Coaches have a tendency to practice too much. We spend a lot of time on the field, but we require that the kids are having fun as a group. That’s mandatory.”

How do you make sure you evolve as the game changes?

■■ West Branch High (Iowa) coach Butch Pedersen is on pace to earn his 300th career win in 2018.

coaching Legend: Iowa’s butch Pedersen Reflects on a Life of Football West Branch coach Butch Pedersen was recognized for his lifetime commitment to coaching when he was named 2017 National Football Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association.

“It’s essential for coaches to stay current with technique and schemes. In our glory years, we’d run a Wing-T. We used to be a power run team. Last year, we broke all kinds of records in the passingw game running a spread zone read.

For a program to grow, you have to stay current with the trends.”

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Butch Pedersen grew up on a farm in West Branch, Iowa, raised by parents and grandparents who gave him only one excuse besides school to skip out on farming chores – athletics.

“My Grandpa (‘Windy’) Brown, and grandmother (‘Tough’) had me go to work on the farm unless I had a practice or something I needed to do to develop as an athlete,” Pedersen said. “I was very lucky to have their support.”

Grandpa Brown also served as head of grounds and buildings at the University of Iowa, so Pedersen was able to get close to the action during football practices and sit in the press box during games. As a young child, he fell in love with football and decided to make a life out of sharing that passion.

As a college student in 1975, Pedersen returned to his hometown of West Branch to coach junior high football. He was the head freshman-sophomore coach in 1976, varsity assistant in 1977, defensive coordinator in 1978, and head coach in 1983. He’s held that position ever since.

Pedersen’s teams have won exactly 80 percent of their games, posting a record of 296-74. In 2017, his team captured the Class 1A District 3 title and completed the regular season with an undefeated (9-0) record.

Next season, Pedersen will likely become the 13th coach in Iowa high school football history to earn 300 career wins.

“I’ve had the opportunity to see a lot of different athletes and environments,” Pedersen said. “That’s helped me grow as a person and a coach.”

THE BUTCH PEDERSEN FILE Team: West Branch High (Iowa) Career Record: 296-74 Years as Head Coach: 36 State Championships: 1989, 1991, 1992

Career All-State Performers: 75 Profession: Teacher Other Sports Coached: Boys

Basketball, Girls Basketball, Baseball, Softball Family: Wife, Jenny; Children, Lance, Kari, Kip Accomplishments: 1994 inductee to the Iowa HS Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, 1991 Iowa HS Football Coach of the Year

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19

PLAYBOOK presented by Attacking Cover 4

BY BILL MOUNTJOY

C

■■ Bill Mountjoy coached Virginia high school football for 33 years, most of it as a head coach at six different schools. His team won the 1971 VAAC Private School State Championship.

He also coached five years on the college level, serving as an offensive assistant at NCAA Division III national champion Randolph-Macon College.

football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com

DIAGRAM 1 SS

over 4 – or quarters – is a four-deep look with the

cornerbacks and safeties each playing onefourth of the deep zone.

Defensive backs will play man coverage on vertical routes while linebackers play zone underneath. If there is no vertical threat, the defensive backs are free to help another defender.

This coverage has two safeties deep but is distinguished from Cover 2 in that the safeties disregard the hashes and align on the H and Y. It is based upon safeties helping the corners on in-breaking routes by the receivers, which can be countered by having H or Y blow the top off the coverage by taking the safety vertical and deep, causing the defense to become a three-deep zone and allowing the WRs to run in breaking routes.

Also, play-action passes directed at one of the safeties can make that safety vulnerable to throws to the receiver behind him. The corners will have no help on receiver routes to the outside, which is one of the areas we will exploit.

Here are 11 questions you need to answer to successfully attack Cover 4: ■■ Can we read the coverage coming in our presnap look? You usually can.

■■ Do the corners take an inside or an outside alignment? Is this determined by the split of the receivers?

■■ How fast do the corners bail? Are they slow playing until the QB clears the three-step drop?

■■ Do the safeties play flat-footed or backpedal as they read H and Y (vertical, flat, cross)?

■■ If H or Y crosses underneath, does that safety go to deep middle and/or look for an in break by one of the WR’s? If so, which one?

■■ Is there a formation they may not play Cover 4 against?

■■ Will different forms of motion eliminate Cover 4?

■■ Which linebacker is the weakest in coverage?

■■ Does the Mike go to hook/curl to the side the running back goes?

■■ Do the outside linebackers go curl/flat off the release of H/Y? ■■ Do they play this coverage in a specific area of the field?

20

60 PASS

FS

C

C W

S

M

■■ Quarterback progresses from Z to Y

52 Y CORNER

DIAGRAM 2 SS

FS

C

C W

M

S

■■ Quarterback looks for Y as the “object receiver”

54 PASS

DIAGRAM 3 SS

FS

C

C W

S

M

■■ Quarterback progresses from Z to Y

52 Y STOP

DIAGRAM 4 SS

FS

C

C W

S

M

■■ Quarterback looks for Z as the “object receiver”

58 PASS

DIAGRAM 5 SS

FS

C

C W

■■ Progression depends on alignment of safety on Y

M

S

check out more in-depth coach content at usafootball.com/coaches-notes

Does your scheme fit your incoming personnel?

BY KURT EARL

G

ood programs make plans to improve, but

great programs make plans to improve based on reflection and data. As we enter the preclinic portion of the offseason, we must not only make plans to improve our programs but make those plans based on rational, data-based reflection on the season that was.

Of utmost importance is evaluating the effectiveness of your offensive schemes and system. Why is this so important?

Your offensive schemes and system are your best opportunity as a program to be proactive and to control what you can control. The formations, shifts, motions and plays you run are totally your choice.

On the other hand, to one degree or another, you’re forced to be reactive on defense. Some special teams units offer a similar opportunity as offense, though not as often. Therefore, offense offers a unique opportunity to select schemes and select a system that is as uniquely tailored as possible to your program’s talents and potential.

So, what data are we talking about?

Let’s unpack that question one data point at a time.

What are the current offensive trends in your area?

Your first question might be “Why does that matter?” This matters because if you are running an offense that is very common in your area, you are not presenting a unique challenge to the defenses you face week in and week out. One of the best ways you can help yourself offensively is to run schemes that are a deviation from the trends in your area.

To track the current trends, you could simply note the style by writing down things such as “spread,” “triple” and “I power.” But take your data analysis deeper. Also, be sure to take note not only of your opponents but the teams you saw them play on film. The more data points the better. Here are some ideas: ■■ What were the most common

personnel groups and formations? (Ex: 21 personnel, I pro.)

■■ What are the most common schemes? (Ex: power, stick/draw.)

Are you ahead of the current trends?

Admittedly, this isn’t an objective data point. This requires reflection that is subjective by nature, but it’s important nonetheless.

If your current offensive schemes and system are on the same curve as the current trends, it’s important to ask yourself: “Are we far enough ahead of the curve that it doesn’t matter that we are square in the middle of the current trends?”

For example, I grew up watching Big 8 football in the 1990s. At that time, most of the teams in the Big 8 were running power, trap and triple option in some shape or form. Nebraska clearly wasn’t too worried about the trends in the Big 8 because they were dominating. They were far enough ahead of the curve that all they needed to do was continue to grow. There was no need for the Cornhuskers to change schemes and system entirely.

In 1991, Colorado head coach Bill McCartney, fresh off winning a national championship, decided to switch from the I-bone, a staple of the 1991 National Title team, to a single back, pass-oriented offense between the end of the 1991 regular season and the bowl game. Why? McCartney believed the team couldn’t stay far enough ahead of the triple option curve to continue be consistently competitive on a national level.

Did it work? Was it the right move?

It’s hard to say. Throughout the next decade, a lot changed in the Big 8 as it moved to the Big 12 and legends such as McCartney and Nebraska’s Tom Osborne retired. The point is this: McCartney decided he couldn’t get far enough ahead of the curve, so he jumped onto another curve. Are you Nebraska or Colorado?

Which direction should you choose?

Success rate Success rate is a statistic designed to help you understand how efficient your offense is. It is designed to capture how frequently you are successfully picking up the needed yards for a first down and,

in turn, keeping yourself out of situations where you are highly unlikely to succeed.

Success rate is a statistic that is relatively easy to calculate and reveals quite a bit about how your offense is doing in terms of efficiency. Here is a brief summary: You are successful on offense if you pick up 50 percent of the yards needed to gain a first down on first down, 70 percent of the yardage needed on second down and 100 percent of the needed yards on third and fourth downs. You are doing well as an offense if you’re successful more than 50 percent. There’s reason for concern if your success rate is less than 40 percent.

Adjusted yards (AY), adjusted yards per game (AYPG), adjusted points (AP) and adjusted points per game (APPG) This is a statistic I created that attempts to account for the quality of the opponent in relation to the yards gained and the points scored by a team. The idea here is that a team’s actual yardage and points in a game are multiplied by a factor that is adjusted for each opponent based on how many games above or below .500 that opponent finished the season. Therefore, a yard gained or a point scored is worth far more when done so against an undefeated team than when achieved against a team that finished the season winless.

Looking at the game charts on page 20, you can see that in 2016 we averaged 369 yards of offense. If I only considered our actual average yards per game, there wouldn’t be too much cause for concern.

Our AYPG, however, tells me there might be more to the story. The same is true regarding our actual points vs. our APPG. You can see that in 2016 both our AYPG and APPG were lower than the actual average.

Perhaps the most revealing column on the chart is the adjusted percentage (A percent) column. This statistic takes the AY and AP and expresses them as a percentage of the actual yardage and actual points scored average.

For instance, in Game 2 of 2016 our AY was 235 yards. In 2016, our actual average yards per game was 369. To get the A percent for Game 2, I took Game 2 AY (235) and divided it by the

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21

PLAYBOOK presented by Opponent's Opponent's game above or below .

Losses 500

2016

Opponent's Wins

Game 1

5

3

Game 2

9

2

Game 3

7

Game 4 Game 5

Won or lost the game

Actual Yards

Adjusted Yards

Adjusted Percentage

Actual Points

Adjusted Points

Adjusted Percentage

1

L

214

235

64%

26

29

106%

4

L

174

235

64%

0

0

0%

2

3

L

307

384

104%

14

18

65%

4

4

0

W

379

379

103%

20

20

74%

8

2

3

L

317

412

112%

14

18

68%

Game 6

3

6

-2

L

390

332

90%

21

18

66%

Game 7

4

4

0

W

558

558

151%

43

43

160%

Game 8

2

7

-3

W

413

310

84%

32

24

89%

Game 9

1

8

-4

W

566

368

100%

72

47

174%

Averages

5

4

0

4-5

369

357

97%

27

24

89%

2017

Opponent's Wins

Opponent's Losses

Games above or below 500

Won or lost the game

Actual Yards

Adjusted Yards

Adjusted Percentage

Actual Points

Adjusted Points

Adjusted Percentage

Game 1

4

4

0

W

354

354

113%

31

31

141%

Game 2

10

2

4

L

147

206

66%

0

0

0%

Game 3

9

3

3

W

391

508

162%

20

26

118%

Game 4

4

4

0

L

208

208

66%

21

21

95%

Game 5

9

1

4

L

137

192

61%

0

0

0%

Game 6

1

8

-4

W

324

211

67%

41

27

121%

Game 7

3

6

-2

W

282

240

76%

26

22

100%

Game 8

4

5

-1

W

435

413

132%

34

32

147%

Game 9

1

8

-4

W

363

236

75%

54

35

160%

Game 10

10

1

5

L

314

455

154%

22

32

128%

Averages

6

4

1

6-4

296

302

102%

25

23

91%

actual yards per game average (369). As you can see, even after adjusting our yardage based on the quality of our opponent – which finished the season four games over .500 and was probably the best team we played all season – we still performed, in terms of total yards of offense, at 64 percent of the rate that we averaged throughout the season.

That’s a red flag. In fact, take a look at how we did in both 2016 and 2017 versus teams with a winning record.

As you look at our numbers, keep in mind that we played the same teams each week both years but at opposite locations. Game 1 in 2016 was the same opponent in 2017 and so on and so forth.

In 19 games, we have played teams with a winning record eight times. In four of those games, we have come up well short in total yardage, but more importantly we came up short of our average points in five of those games.

In 2016, two games stand out. In Game No. 2, we played a team that

22

2016-17 GAME CHARTS

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would reach the state quarterfinals, and as you can see, we struggled mightily to move the ball and were shut out.

Game 7 stands out as well. We played a team that finished right at .500, but we played excellently.

In retrospect, AY and AP tell the story of our season well. We did in fact underperform when our A percent was low and performed well when our A percent was high. Did I need to go to all the trouble of creating an equation?

Does common sense tell me the same thing? Maybe, but I have found the resulting spreadsheet to be very helpful in my evaluation of how our offense performed week in and week out.

Confront the brutal facts Last summer, I read Jim Collins’ “Good to Great.” One of the things Collins’ research revealed to him was that the leadership of companies that went from good to great confronted the brutal facts. They took a good hard look at the

current situation, assessed it and fully embraced their reality.

Here at Lincoln Christian, the brutal facts are not terribly brutal, but they’re brutal enough.

In my two years as the head coach, our record is 10-9 (4-5 last year and 6-4 this year, with a berth in the 16-team playoffs). We’ve been shut out three times, our success rate on offense has been substandard, and our AYPG and APPG have revealed that we are struggling to be productive on offense against quality teams. By the end of 2017, we were playing top 10 in the state level ball, but our offense never quite turned the corner. Perhaps most importantly, as I consider our returning players for 2018 and look at the type of players we have coming up through the ranks, I’m not sure we’re going to have a group of players who fit the schemes we used the last two years as well as our players this year did.

This is not the fault of my players or

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my offensive coordinator, or my position coaches. I’m the one to blame. It’s my job to make sure that our players are given the opportunity to be successful every time we snap the ball, and the data shows I haven’t done what is necessary to make that a reality.

As the head football coach, I must ask myself why. Why is our success rate so low? Why are our AYPG and APPG so low? It’s my job to gather all of the data and other various forms of information and figure out what is causing our struggles. With that in mind, here are three questions I’m asking myself and attempting to answer before we hit the clinic season this winter.

Are we ahead of the curve?

■■ Are we asking our players to execute schemes that don’t highlight their strengths?

■■ Are we systematically developing players in the weight room and on the field starting in the youth and junior high football levels?

Without getting too far into the specifics of our situation, here are some of the answers I’ve gathered thus far.

Are we ahead of the curve?

On paper, yes. In execution, maybe not. My conclusion? Defensive coordinators in our area have dramatically improved their ability to coach their players how to defend our spread attack through the last decade.

This has forced us to become more elaborate in our schemes. We may have reached a point at which our players are thinking too much and not flying around, making plays and having fun.

Are we asking our players to execute schemes that don’t highlight their strengths?

On paper, no. In execution, maybe. In theory, our schemes match our personnel really well, but the brutal facts tell me there’s an issue. Educators refer to this as the knowing and doing gap. A clear gap currently exists between what we know and what we execute.

• • • • • • • • •

Are we systematically developing players in the weight room and on the field starting in the youth and junior high football levels?

No. In my first two years I have poured all of my efforts as the CEO of football at Lincoln Christian school into the high school program. In fact, because of numbers in my first year, we canceled the JV season. Now, in my third full offseason as head coach, much of my focus is on developing the junior high and youth levels.

In December, the No. 1 way that is happening is by providing more opportunities for our young athletes to get in the weight room and do developmentally appropriate resistance training.

In Collins’ book, “Good to Great,” one of the key takeaways is, how comfortable we can become with good enough and that good enough never made anything great. At the end of my second year as head coach, it is clear that our offense is good enough, but we need to take action to move it from good to great.

■■ Kurt Earl is the head coach at Lincoln (Neb.) Christian School. Follow him on Twitter @KurtEarl14.

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23

PLAYBOOK presented by How to account for motion when bringing pressure

BY ZACH DAVIS

O

ne of the most difficult aspects of playing defense

is accounting for motion while bringing pressure. We will define pressure in this article as a five-player rush with Cover 1 behind it.

The easiest way to account for motion is to run with the motion, but the most effective way is to use the free safety to account for it. This allows defenders to maintain leverage on the jet sweep and keep box players in the box.

Use your personnel in a way that allows them to be effective. We talk a lot about letting cover guys cover while box players remain focused on stopping the run and rushing the quarterback. The I’ll use as an example comes from a 3-3-5 defense, and what we do is simple, allowing players to play really fast.

The first pressure we are going to look at is SAW. SAW stands for Sam and Will blitzing through the B gap.

The ends will play the C gap, becoming QB/ force/BCR players. We tell the ends to feed the fire and turn the ball back to the blitzing linebackers.

The Sam and Will become dive/spill players because they are blitzing the B gap. (diagram 1)

SAW

C

The last pressure is WAM, which stands for Will and Mike blitzing the B and A gaps away from the back.

The nose guard slants to the strong A gap. The ends will play the C gap, and they become QB/ force/BCR players. We tell the ends to feed the fire and turn the ball back to the blitzing linebackers.

The Will and Mike become dive/spill players because they are blitzing the A and B gaps. (diagram 3) Using the free safety to handle motion is a great way to maintain leverage on jet sweep and tailback motion out of the backfield. It allows defenses to run your blitzes versus any formation and motion.

I am a huge fan of Cover 1. You can use it with three-, four- and five-player rushes, and your free safety can handle the motion, which allows you to maintain leverage.

Remember, the key to success on this is keeping the coverage simple and minimizing the thought process so your players can play fast.

24

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E

N

E

C

R S

M

W

B

F ■■ Safety handles jet motion and motion out of the backfield

SAW CRASH

DIAGRAM 2

C

The second pressure is SAW Crash. SAW Crash stands for Sam and Will blitzing through the C gap.

The ends play the B gap, and they become the dive/spill players. We tell the ends to feed the fire and spill the ball to the blitzing linebackers.

The Sam and Will become QB/force/BCR players because they are blitzing the C gap. (diagram 2)

DIAGRAM 1

E

N

E

C

R S

M

W

B

F ■■ Safety handles jet motion and motion out of the backfield

WAM

DIAGRAM 3

C

E

N

E

C

R S

M

W

B

F ■■ Safety handles jet motion and motion out of the backfield

■■ Zach Davis is the head coach at Riverside High School in Belle, West Virginia.

Visit his website at zachdavis24.blogspot.com and download his podcast, Mind of a Football Coach, on iTunes. Follow him on Twitter @ZachDavis24.

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How to practice kickoff coverage

FLY ZONE DRILLS

DIAGRAM 1

FOLD DRILL 1s, 2s, Ks

DIAGRAM 2

BY BILL LUND

D

eveloping an efficient and effective way to practice

kickoff coverage is a constant battle between skill development and scheme review. Most weeks, teams only have a small window of practice time to accomplish this task.

Throughout the years, I have found that focusing too much practice time on scheme creates more angst in preparation. Inconsistency and lack of quality looks often offered by scout teams limit the ability to get ready to execute at game speed.

A few years ago, I shifted my approach to focus on getting more work at game speed. I started evaluating our practice plans and looked to steal time for skill development within practice. Most of the programs I have been associated with have had prepractice or pre-warm-up special teams periods where returners, snappers, kickers and punters get some extra work. I began using this time for the “Unit of the Day” skill work.

When you the break down most practice schedules, there is always time budgeted for offensive or defensive individual work followed by group time, unit periods and team periods. Rarely is individual time dedicated to special team’s skills. It comes back to sacrificing individual skill work for scheme work. The prevailing method for special teams practice has been to develop skills predominately during fall camp when you have more time and focus on scheme when the season begins.

When you evaluate the number of times a team kicks off in a game, it ranges from one to eight reps on average, forcing the scheme you are facing to be limited. What your players need to truly know for kickoff is the direction of kick and the direction or return. This is all the information needed to allow your players to know how to defeat the blocks and limit returns when facing opponents at speed.

With this in mind, I create as much time for individual skill development for all the various special team’s units. When breaking down the kickoff coverage unit, I determined that skill work was more crucial for the unit’s success than the actual scheme. I designed the scheme to be adaptable to any Return look we will see and dependent on players winning their battles in space to get to the ball carrier. Hence my focus was on mastering our individual work at speed.

Practice time for our kickoff period is broken

1

K

1

2

2

R

R

RESTRAINING LINE DRILL

DIAGRAM 3

FB

FB

E

L1

L2

L3

E

L4

L5

K

R5

R4

R3

R2

R1

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25

PLAYBOOK presented by LEVERAGE DRILL

DIAGRAM 4 3s

4s

5s

3s

4s

5s

up by using our 10 minutes of prepractice time to work on our close quarter skills. Our 10 minutes of in-practice time is broken up by position.

Starting during the preseason, we will work all our drills during the first two weeks at least twice. Once we get into game mode, we rotate the drills used throughout camp to hone and master our skills needed to excel in coverage at a high level. The drills are broken up like this:

Prepractice ■■ Punch press/quick (can add sled work) ■■ Back door, speed ■■ Donut-hawk tackle, drive for 5

Scheme and Timing ■■ Restraining line ■■ Jog the fits

Understanding leverage and responsibility ■■ Fold drill ■■ Can drill ■■ Lev drill

Winning vs. blocks in space ■■ Fly zone ■■ Mascot drill

R

MASCOT DRILL

3s

DIAGRAM 5 4s

5s

5s

4s

3s

During prepractice, we always work on an aspect such as hand development for block destruction, or on our ability to avoid blockers in space, as well as tackling – especially for offensive players. These are close quarter drills focusing on a specific skill that I will look to have applied to our full speed drills.

Backdoor drill in prepractice (diagrams 1-3)

R

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26

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Most days, we will work fold drill with the 1s, 2s and kickers, with the rest of the unit working a leverage drill for a five-minute block. The last five minutes we will work our restraining line drill then jogging our fits we will see for the given week.

The next week, we will switch up drills where we can work on defeating blocks with speed with our fly zone drill.

In the next five-minute block, we work the whole group on block destruction and leverage using our mascot drill. I will mix in our leverage drill to work on leveraging a returner with a teammate, having the whole unit participate (diagram 4).

On Fridays, when we do our pregame walkthrough, we will review our fits versus the return looks, jogging through execution and adjustments (diagram 5).

I have been successful in the implementation of this method in training our kickoff coverage throughout the years. In 2016, when I took over at Saginaw Valley State, our coverage unit was

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DIAGRAM 6 R1

R2

R3

T

R4

R5

K

G

L5

L4

C

L3

G

E

L2

L1

T

E

FB

FB

R

R

125th in the country. Utilizing the same personnel, we improved to 42nd in the country in kickoff coverage.

The scheme is designed just like run fits for a defense. Each player has fits he must get to and responsibilities to execute.

The scheme is simple to execute and allows players to utilize the skills we are mastering to play fast, to play smart and finish.

From the outside in, our players are numbered 1 through 5 on both the left and right sides (diagram 6). Each position has a responsibility and a skill set that we as a staff try to match. Our 1s are the playmakers. They are called fold and fill players. Our 2s are the contain players.

Everything stays inside them. The 3s are punch and press players, typically linebacker or big safety types who can take on and defeat blockers. The 4s are physical thumpers: big linebackers, H-backs, tight ends or defensive ends.

The 5s are linebacker types who serve as spill and scrape players.

1s. Fall behind the unit, ball to you, fill best path to the ball with speed. Ball away, fold and find lane to the ball at speed.

2s. Contain everything inside and get to ball depth. Ball away, “trim the fat” with speed at ball depth.

3s. Must play physical. They will key the tight end on the return and fit to his outside.

4s. Physical players who must beat frontline blocks with speed and fit outside the up-backs/fullbacks.

5s. On a return left, the L5 spills inside the rullbacks and the R5 scrapes over the top to the ball. Vice versa when going to the right.

Kicker. Stay on top of the ball, squeezing the ball-carrier to the sideline and using it as a help defender.

■■ Bill Lund is the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Saginaw Valley State University. He previously held positions at Hope College, North Park University of Carleton College, St. Norbert College, University of Buffalo, Colby College and Columbia University. Follow him on Twitter @Lundsanity51.

PLAYBOOK presented by LEARN FROM THE TOP COACHES USA FOOTBALL’S COACHES NOTES OFFERS EDUCATIONAL TOOLS HERE’S A SAMPLE:

Teaching the speed option in the spread offense DAVE CHRISTENSEN, ASSISTANT COACH ARIZONA STATE

W

T

his spring, USA Football will launch Coaches’ Notes,

a daily deep-dive into schemes, drills and program development written by coaches for coaches. For $50 a year, coaches can gain full access to the service, including topics covering technical/tactical, staff development, coaching philosophy, physical development, motivation and health and safety.

Whether you are looking to completely overhaul your system, find some tweaks to what you already have or improve critical off-the-field components, Coaches’ Notes will provide proven methods that your peers are already taking advantage of – and what’s coming next.

Football is unlike any other sport. Coaches spend the entire offseason helping each other get better while raising their own games. With Coaches’ Notes, tap into that knowledge from your home, office or tablet.

By coaches, for coaches. USA Football works with top coaches across the nation at the high school, college and NFL levels to share what they know.

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Every day. A new note will post to USA Football’s Coaches’ Notes every day, bringing seven new ideas each week, 30 fresh topics every month and 365 ways to improve yourself and your team each year.

Beyond the X’s and O’s. Sustained success doesn’t happen without solid organization behind it.

Coaches not only share their best schemes, plays and teaching tools, they dig into how to build the strongest staff, offseason program and in-season plan to bring out the best in your athletes and staff.

28

e run the option game with our quarterback as an alternative to get on the perimeter. In fact, we probably run this play more than the stretch play.

There are a number of different ways to block this play. We can load the scheme and block the defensive end or read him. Game planning and the alignment of the defense will make the decision.

We like the option against an aggressive defensive end, using a man-blocking scheme. When we are fortunate to have fast athletic tackles, that gives us the opportunity to reach the defensive end and option the flat defender.

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SHOTGUN OPTION

FS C

C W

M

SS

S E

N

T

E

To us, the option play is run from the shotgun. By running it from the shotgun, you have the built-in space between the quarterback and the defensive end. Some coaches say, “When you run option, you hold your breath every time the quarterback runs the ball,” but when he faces up the end rarely if ever does a big hit or injury occur.

The quarterback secures the snap in the shotgun and gets his eyes on the defensive end. The quarterback has two hands on the ball and makes the defender make a decision – take the quarterback or cover the pitch. The pitch relationship must be good so the defensive end cannot force the quarterback to pitch and tackle the pitchman before he turns the corner.

COACHES’ NOTES ARE AVAILABLE AT: USAFOOTBALL.COM/COACHES-NOTES.

Star ratings don’t matter. the4dclub.com

TEAM BUILDING

5 Ways for Coaches to Get Players to Buy In In order for a coach to get the most out of his scheme and game plan, his players must buy in to his philosophy.

■■ Wesleyan School (Ga.)

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Coaches often say players won’t care how much you know until you show them how much you care. It’s impossible for coaches to fake how much they care, and players are constantly sizing up the coaches to make sure their message comes from a genuine place.

A head coach needs to set the tone for the entire program that his football team is a family. Through good times and bad, the coach will support his players and staff and put them in position to succeed.

Earning player trust can be difficult.

Some high school student-athletes are lacking in experience when it comes to male mentors, and they might be slow to welcome one into their lives. A strong player-coach relationship can’t be forced.

Take time to foster trust and compassion because the high school years can be difficult to navigate without encountering a share of adversity.

A coach should have an open-door policy and let his players know they can reach out to him regardless of the circumstance. Keep an open line of communication. Welcome the opportunity for players to share their insecurities and struggles. Coaching is about building relationships – not just wins and losses. Work to build relationships with all players – not just the ones that are making highlights on Friday nights. Here are five tips to help you receive buy-in from your players.

BE CONSISTENT

“I think it’s about staying the course and trusting in the process,” said Steve Specht, head football coach at St. Xavier High (Ohio). “We always talk about following the blueprint. It’s just such a fine line between winning and losing, and you have to get kids to believing and following the blueprint.”

VALUE ALL PLAYERS

“We try to put the kids in the best position, and we try to make sure every kid has a role, whatever that may be,” said Josh Niblett, head coach at Hoover High (Ala).

“They’ve got to have a role so they don’t get lost in the program.”

COMMUNICATE CLEARLY

“It’s all communication. If you have good communication, they’re going to talk to you at times where they think you’re going too far or if they want to be pushed,” said Jason Negro, head football coach at St. John Bosco High (Calif.). “Kids want to be driven; they want to be great.”

PRIORITIZE YOUR MESSAGE

“You have to be really clinical with the theme you’re trying to show whenever you’re using video,” said Aaron Calvin, Performance Analyst for the Nike Academy. “Because with too much noise, the boys just get confused, and they leave more confused than when they came into the session.”

BE ACCOUNTABLE

“I’ve never coached a team that won at the end

■■ East Palestine (Ohio)

30

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that didn’t have great leadership, where those guys didn’t hold each other accountable,” said Gabe Infante, head football coach at St. Joe’s Prep (Pa.).

“Those guys weren’t playing for me.

They weren’t playing for their school.

They were playing for each other.”

TECHNOLOGY

Tech Corner with Sideline Power CEO Matt Starr

AN INDUSTRY LEADER SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE NEWEST TRENDS

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Sideline Power specializes in outfitting teams with headsets, end zone and sideline cameras, drones and portable sound systems to improve the game experience for coaches, players and fans.

Sideline Power CEO Matt Starr will serve as a regular

Have you noticed more interest in technology that provides communication between coaches and players during practice or games?

guest in the Tech Corner column to share the latest trends in high school football.

What was the biggest trend in new technology in 2017?

One of the biggest things I noticed at the end of last year was a lot more coaches using drones for technology if they want to get a better view. They want a leg up on their competitors. Ten years ago, you never heard of recording practice and breaking down film. Now there’s drone footage; it flies up and provides a straight up-and-down view. That’s one trend we’ve seen.

What else are teams using during practice?

Another tech product is our portable sound system. It allows coaches to come out to the field and communicate better with players. They can play music and get the kids involved that way. Those are the two hottest products going on right now.

Coach-to-player technology is another one. Coaches can talk to the quarterback and linebacker while they stand on the sideline and call in plays from practice. That’s something new right now. In college, they can’t do that during the game, but a lot of college teams are using it for practice. Now, high schools are starting to get that taste, too. Some of the bigger high schools are using it, and it helps with communication.

What type of new technology are coaches using in-game?

Sideline Replay came out three or four years ago. More and more schools are getting it. HUDL jumped in that market two years ago and hurt some of those other companies. End zone cameras are something just about all schools have now.

Those are the two main topics.

FILM STUDY

F

or coaches with larger budgets, Starr said getting wide and tight angles for game film allows for more teaching opportunities.

“One thing schools in Texas are doing is getting wide and tight shots on the sideline,” Starr said.

“They like to see the footing of players and see wide and tight angles from the sideline and end zone. Coaches like breaking down video as much as they can. They like to see where guys are stepping wrong.”

Sideline Power offers a digital piggy back system that allows videographers to film wide and tight angles from one camera stand and one control.

“You can have one camera guy controlling all three angles,” Starr said. “It has an option to air link the sideline and end zone cameras in HD so you have the same amount of plays from the sideline and end zone.

It’s hard to match; most systems don’t do that.”

■■ Sideline Power is the No. 1 Choice in coaching communication, providing a wide variety of coaching headsets, end zone cameras, sideline replay and other technology for athletic programs.

SIDELINE POWER

WEBSITE: SIDELINEPOWER.COM

PHONE: 1-800-496-4290

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31

BOOSTER CLUBS

8 Ways to Upgrade Your Booster Program A booster club should provide support for a football by raising funds or coordinating events. Many booster clubs are organized and run by parents of the players on team. The best ones leave the coaches and players to focus on football.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

A Booster Club can become stale, leaving the team’s coaching staff to handle administrative duties.

Here are some examples of ways school around the country have revamped their Booster Clubs.

Rebrand. A school in Mississippi renamed its Booster Club – switching from Touchdown Club to Natchez Gridiron Club – in a symbolic move to drum up excitement and alert parents of players that increasing participation had become a priority.

Find the right leaders. A Louisiana school – Destrehan High – opened all Booster Club officer positions to election and defined the job descriptions of each elected office so that parents with the appropriate skill sets could run for positions.

■■ Ad space on a scoreboard brings money to a program.

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Set clear goals. Each Booster Club should put

its goals in writing, whether those goals come in the form of fundraising revenue, participation numbers, or team functions. Each Booster Club meeting should start with a discussion of the annual budget.

Fundraise. Freeport Sports Booster Club (N.Y.) raises money through car washes, Carribean theme nights, advertising journals, Fire Department vs. Police Department football games, swim-a-thons and more. Be creative.

Generate support in the community. Before each season, Charleston High (S.C.) hosts “The Red & Gold Grill on the Hill”, a block-party barbecue featuring pork burgers. Potential Booster Club volunteers and donors are often discovered.

Sell merchandise. The Issaquah (Wash.)

Booster Club sells “Logo Gear” from a Booster Tent at all games, as well as during school lunch periods, Fall Sports Nights, and Back to School Night.

Sell sponsorships. The Wamego (Kan.) Athletic Booster Club sells ads in its print publications, website, electronic ads on the scoreboards, and radio spots during game broadcasts.

Create a website. The Massillon (Ohio) Tiger Football Booster Club started a contest calling for local high school students to build its website, which is now used to share news about fundraisers and collect donations.

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■■ Selling team merchandise should be a priority for any Booster Club.

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8 STEPS TO STARTING A BOOSTER CLUB

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he Cullinane Law Group works with several larger Booster Clubs in Texas. Forming a booster club is the same process as creating any type of tax-exempt, nonprofit organization.

Cullinane offered some steps for starting new nonprofit booster club:

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MAKE A PLAN. Who will you serve? What is your mission?

SELECT A NAME. Usually, school-based booster club simply call themselves “[Name of Organization] Booster Club.”

RECRUIT AN INITIAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Who is a part of your initial planning team?

DRAFT AND FILE DOCUMENTS TO BECOME A STATE NONPROFIT CORPORATION (or other appropriate state entity).

PREPARE INTERNAL GOVERNANCE (BYLAWS) and hold an initial meeting.

APPLY FOR AN E.I.N. (similar to a Social Security Number, but for a business).

APPLY FOR 501(C)3 TAX-EXEMPT STATUS with the IRS, so you can raise funds for the organization and your projects.

APPLY FOR STATE EXEMPTIONS and other needed permits.

YOUTH PROGRAM

5 WAYS TO KEEP YOUTH PLAYERS ENGAGED

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■■ Give youth players an opportunity to get close to the action on game night.

6 Ways to Engage Youth Players CREATING A FEEDER PROGRAM FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL By collaborating with the youth coaches in the area, a high school coach can strengthen his program by increasing participation numbers and adding to the talent pool in the incoming freshman class.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Bradley Webber had every intention of planting roots in the local community when he became the Pike County (Ga.) head coach in 2008. So, his first order of business as coach was to reach out to youth programs in the area to establish a feeder system.

Webber’s program is now infused each season with a seasoned crop of freshmen – players who are familiar with his team’s scheme and verbiage. Webber offered these six tips to other coaches for creating a partnership with the local youth program.

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Have a Youth Night. Pike County has a rec night

each year. The youth players warm up with the varsity high school players. Wrist bands are distributed to youth players.

Have a Youth Camp/Clinic. Give the youth players opportunities to get coached by the high school staff. Share the verbiage and basics of the scheme. Let the players establish relationships with coaches before their first practice.

Coach the Coaches. Hold a clinic to share ideas on coaching with the youth coaches so that the community has a streamlined way of teaching and installing its schemes.

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nthony Stone is a USA Football Regional Master Trainer and a physical education teacher at Gregory Elementary and quarterbacks coach at Boylan High School in Rockford, Ill. He shared five techniques to keep youth players focused.

Go Over the Rules. It is important to make sure the players understand your rules and regulations before you start football practice and that you have a routine.

Get Excited. It is important for this age group to know you are interested in being with them.

Keep All Drills Fun. Make sure you have games for them to play that incorporate the skill you are trying to teach, because football isn’t a job for them.

Keep It Short and Simple.

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Let the Youth Players Use the Facilities. What better way to provide motivation to youth players than by letting them dress in the varsity locker room and play on the same fields?

Have a Doubleheader. Schedule a night in which the junior high team opens for the varsity.

Fans will trickle into the stadium throughout the early game and inspire the youth players to stick with the sport.

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It is important to keep the instructions short and concise when teaching.

Offer Perspective. If a player is losing his composure, remind him that he is there to have fun and play the greatest game on the planet.

Hire the Right Assistants. Most

of the time spent working with youth players and coaches is not technically on the clock. Hire the right assistants so they are invested in the program as a whole and won’t shudder at the idea of working without compensation.

■■ Have athletes sign autographs for youth players.

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STRENGTH TRAINING

Get Results, Inspire Competition with Ironman Week NORTHSIDE HIGH (GA.) COACH HAS A TRIED AND TRUE METHOD Creating an offseason competition to inspire players to compete amongst themselves – and past players in the program – is the best way to get rewards out of a strength and conditioning program.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

■■ The bench press is part of the inter-team competition.

In his 10 years at Northside High (Ga.), Kevin Kinsler has led the team to an overall record of 96-19, four region championships, and one state championship. He credits the program’s success in large part to an offseason strength and conditioning competition, which provides players with a competitive environment and support from fans. The competition was started by former Northside coaching legend Conrad Nix and continued by Kinsler over the last decade.

Here is the basis of the Ironman Competition: The Events. Players compete in nine events during Ironman Week, which takes place before the start of fall practice. The events include bench press (max), bench press (endurance), cleans, squats, shuttle runs, mile, pile press, 10-yard dash, and 40-yard dash.

“We finish on a Thursday with a mile run,” Kinsler said. “We get the entire team together and map out a course around the school. That’s the only event of the day, and it’s usually a big deal around here. It’s fun to watch 100-something football players race a mile.”

The Teams. Players are split into position groups to compete against players of similar size, strength and speed. Champions of each position group are recognized at the end of the week.

There’s also an overall champion.

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“This year, we had a linebacker,” Kinsler said.

“We’ve had a lot of linebackers over the years.

We’ve had a lineman before.”

How It’s Scored. A player receives points for each pound he lifts, and the coaches keep a running total of the score. The results are posted on an Ironman Board, which also shows records from previous seasons.

“It’s a combination of strength and speed,” Kinsler said. “Whether you’re big or small, you can still score points for every lift and keep track.”

■■ North Gwinnett (Ga.)

THE IRONMAN LEGACY

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s much as players thrive on competing against each other, they also love competing against some of the greats in program history.

Northside posts Ironman results dating back 12 to 15 years, so players can see how they measure up against the best.

“The kids want to see their names up on the board for the whole year,” Kinsler said. “Each year, we change the names.

Guys are trying to beat the record. It has become a big deal.”

Northside had 17 consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins from 1998-2014. The team also won back-to-back state championships in 2006 and 2007.

“Those are the teams that still have some records on the board,” Kinsler said. “These guys broke some of them recently. It’s a pretty good measure of how we stack up against the teams from the past.”

NUTRITION

7 Ways to Gain Weight Healthfully Although two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, a handful of skinny people—including many athletes—feel very frustrated by their seeming inability to gain weight. Their struggle to bulk up is on par with that of over-fat folks who work hard to lose weight.

BY NANCY CLARK, SPORTS NUTRITIONIST

Even very lean people can gain some weight when they systematically enhance their diet.

Although they cannot change their genetics and their tendency to fidget, they can boost their calorie intake. If you are a scrawny athlete, a teenage eating-machine who wants to weigh more, or are trying to bulk up for next football season, here are some tips to help you gain weight healthfully.

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Eat consistently. Do NOT skip meals; doing

so means you’ll miss out on important calories needed to reach your goal. Every day, enjoy a breakfast, an early lunch, a later lunch, dinner, and a bedtime meal. This might mean breakfast at 7 a.m., lunch at 11 a.m., second lunch at 3 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m., and a protein-rich bedtime snack at 10 p.m.

Eat larger than normal portions. Instead of having one sandwich for lunch, have two. Enjoy a taller glass of milk, bigger bowl of cereal, and larger piece of fruit.

Select higher calorie foods. Read food labels to discover which wholesome foods offer more calories. For example, cranapple juice has more calories than orange juice (170 vs. 110 calories per 8 ounces); granola has more calories than Cheerios (500 vs. 100 calories per cup); corn more calories than green beans (140 vs. 40 calories per cup).

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Drink lots of 100 percent fruit juice and low-fat (chocolate) milk. Instead of quenching your

thirst with water, choose calorie-containing fluids. By having milk with each meal, you can easily add 300 to 600 wholesome calories a day. One high school soccer player gained 13 pounds over the summer by simply quenching his thirst with six glasses of cranapple juice instead of water (1,000 vs. 0 calories). He consumed the fluid he needed (juice is 98 percent water) and bonus of more carbohydrates to refuel his depleted muscles, plus a good dose of Vitamin C to enhance healing.

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fats, add almonds to cereal and salads, spread extra peanut butter on the PB&J sandwich, dive into the guacamole with baked chips, and add extra olive oil dressing to your salads. That’s an easy extra 500-plus calories/day.

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Do strengthening exercise as well as some cardio.

Weight lifting and push-ups stimulate muscle growth so that you bulk-up instead of fatten up. Plus, exercise stimulates your appetite and, sooner or later, you’ll want to eat more. Exercise also increases thirst, so you will want to drink extra juices and caloric fluids.

Take note: You will not build bigger muscles by eating extra protein. While you want to target a protein-rich food with 20-30 grams protein at each meal (and 10-15/snack), having more will not build bigger muscles. Resistance exercise builds muscles. To have the energy to do the musclebuilding training, you need extra carbs. That’s where drinking more 100 percent fruit juice and chocolate milk offer benefits; you’ll be betterfueled and better able to lift heavier weights.

Don’t bother to buy expensive weight gain drinks. A hefty PB&J with a tall glass of chocolate milk adds about 1,000 calories for about $2. You would spend at least $10 getting those calories from Muscle Milk.

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By following these tips, you should see progress, but honor your genetics. Most people do gain weight with age as they become less active, more mellow, and have more time to eat. Granted, that information doesn’t help you today, but it offers optimism (or a warning) for your future physique!

Enjoy peanut butter, nuts, avocado, and olive oil. These foods are high in (health-

promoting) fats. They’re a positive addition to your sports diet; they help knock down inflammation. Their high fat content means they’re calorie-dense. To boost good

NANCY CLARK

■■ Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD, has a private practice in the Boston area. She helps both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes create winning food plans. Her best-selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook, is available at nancyclarkrd.com.

MS, RD, CSSD Download the FNF Coaches app from the Apple App Store and Google Play

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EDUCATION

8 Ways to Make Study Hall Work DON’T ALLOW PLAYERS TO WASTE VALUABLE TIME Coaches will often implement mandatory study halls when the team GPA needs to be improved. Make the most of that time by keeping the players on task.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

■■ The Glendale (Ariz.) football team earned the school’s annual Achievement Above All Student Group of the Year Award in 2017.

Robert York saw plenty of opportunities for improvement when he took over as head coach of Glendale High (Ariz.) in 2016. The team hadn’t had a winning season since 1980, so he had to dissect every aspect of the program.

He started with academics. If the players could start performing in the classroom, he figured they could remain eligible to contribute in games and take more accountability in every aspect of their high school experiences.

He implemented a daily study hall from 2:35 to 3:30 p.m. Here are eight tips for study hall.

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Check grades daily. York set up a system for

teachers to report grades to him daily. He monitored it closely so that he was prepared with assignments for study hall.

Send players to teachers for help. Any time a player received a “D” or “F”, York sent him to the teacher of that subject for extra help.

Require teachers to sign hall passes. A coach that sends players to teachers for help should use sign-in and sign-out times so players are going directly from classroom to classroom.

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4

Hold players accountable. If a coach is

constantly harping on the importance of academics and playing an active role, his players will understand the importance.

Get a list of incomplete assignments. York printed out a list of incomplete assignments for each player so that they had constant reminders of how they could improve.

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Have teachers report disciplinary issues. If a

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No cell phones or talking.

player got kicked out of class, York intervened to repair the relationship with the teacher and gather missed assignments.

York bans all cell phones from study hall. Players need to be working – not talking.

Campus patrol. York has an assistant coach patrol the campus to make sure no players are wandering during study time.

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SUCCESS IN CLASS TRANSLATES TO FIELD

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he Glendale football team proved York correct in his assertion that improved performance in the classroom would translate to improved play on the field.

In 2017, Glendale football players received the school’s annual Achievement Above All Student Group of the Year Award, which celebrates a student group that exhibits superior traits and representation.

The team’s daily commitment to attend study hall and receive extra help helped improve its collective GPA. “Their work ethic has changed, the time commitment has grown substantially, and their character on campus has greatly improved,” York said.

The team finished the season with a record of 8-2, narrowly missing the region championship by only four points; this is the best record for a Glendale High School football team since 1981.

“We knew why kids were failing and struggling in school,” York said. “A big part of succeeding in class is about buying in and being accountable.”

ANALYTICS

What’s Next for Football Analytics?

■■ Lions Lead consultants change behavioral tendencies.

6 BENEFITS OF USING PERSONALIZED AND PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS FOR ATHLETES

A SILICON VALLEY TECH COMPANY IS ANALYZING PHYSICAL, MENTAL PERFORMANCE A Silicon Valley technology company is looking to make its way into high school football by providing coaches with analytics on athletes’ physical and mental weaknesses – with an action plan on how to help the athletes improve in both areas.

BY DAN GUTTENPLAN

Analytics broke into high school football in a big way in July when Lawrence Central High (Ind.) hosted a “Sports Science Combine”, billed as the first of its kind in the country. Dozens of high school football players from local schools participated in a combine that tested for behavioral and physical traits designed to arm coaches with data to maximize the potential of individual players and the team.

A team from Sparta Science, a sports technology company based in Silicon Valley, led the combine, offering physical and mental tests to players over the course of a day-long session in order to assess the greatest area of improvement for each player.

A district could spend anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 per year for such services as Sparta and Lions Lead, depending on the level of involvement with the consulting service.

Sparta and Lions Lead will look to make the jump into high school athletics, after starting at the professional and collegiate levels.

■■ Sparta Science tests players for strength deficiencies using a force plate.

D In other words, advanced — and personalized — analytics are coming to the high school level.

The combine at Lawrence Central High was divided into four two-hour flights. One group started in the Lawrence Central fieldhouse. After a 10-minute warmup, the players one-by-one stepped on to a “force plate.” Each player was given six vertical jumps from a crouching position.

From that seemingly simple movement, the players were provided a mountain of information. The force plate calculates the “load”, “explode” and “drive” of each individual and displays a range of where each player should be in relation to the position they play.

Sparta, which was launched by Phil Wagner in 2010 and has clients in the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball, can then personalize workouts and specific lifts for athletes to aid in areas of weakness.

Another group of football players met down the hallway in a computer lab with Dr. Dan Snively, a veteran of more than 30 years in the assessment field, coaching executives and leadership teams from Fortune 500 companies.

For the past 3½ years, Snively has developed his own assessment tools to tap into behavioral tendencies for his Lions Lead consultancy.

Inside the computer lab, a group of seniors took Snively’s 105-question assessment, and scored high in areas of loyalty and handling adversity. Snively encouraged the players to pass along those traits to underclassmen in their respective programs.

“One of the most important things I’ve learned is that character is really critical,” Snively said of his assessments. “[The assessments] are behaviorbased instead of personality-based. There’s nothing wrong with personality, but that just tells you the way you are wired. It’s important to know, but you can’t change that. You can change behaviors. That’s what this is about. What are our strength and challenge areas? And what can we do about them?”

SPARTA SCIENCE

etermine weaknesses. In a 90-second evaluation, Sparta Science can identify an athlete’s weaknesses by using a vertical jump test off a force plate.

Provide an action plan. After determining weaknesses, the Sparta app will provide an action plan to strengthen underdeveloped muscles in a safe, scientifically proven manner.

Avoid injuries. By strengthening muscles that might be susceptible to injury, the Sparta Science model will keep athletes on the field and out of the training room.

Monitor and improve.

Athletes will log activity and make it available to the coaches on the Sparta app. If an athlete isn’t fulfilling his end of the bargain on the prescribed plan, the coaches will receive updates.

Score and compare athletes. A coach can determine which athletes are working hardest – and smartest – and reward the hardest working players with additional playing time or leadership opportunities.

View athlete availability and restrictions. By monitoring fatigue and athlete performance development, a coach can determine what type of workload to impose on a player each week.

WEBSITE: SPARTASCIENCE.COM TWITTER: @SPARTASCIENCE

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37

USA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The 2018 USA Football National Conference: 3 Days That Changed the Direction of the Season

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ore than 1,000 high school coaches joined for a

weekend in Orlando in January – collaborating and networking for the good of the game.

Coaches in attendance had access to more than 60 breakout sessions, more than 75 live demos from cutting-edge vendors, and learned from the best coaches in the nation with more than 15 live chalk talks sessions.

Former NFL stars Mike Singletary, Trent Dilfer, and Cris Carter were three of the featured speakers.

When USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck addressed the 2018 National Conference attendees during Friday’s keynote address, three general themes stood out.

Hallenbeck touched on the importance of providing as many entry points to the game as possible. He talked about new initiatives that will further develop players and coaches. Finally, he emphasized the importance of collaboration among coaches from all levels of play, particularly between the youth and high school levels.

Friday’s keynote address also featured Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker and was emceed by Fox Sports 1 broadcaster Mike Hill.

As part of the American Development Model rollout, Hallenbeck referenced USA Football’s 9-on9 pilot program that it will unveil this year. Like Rookie Tackle, which USA Football introduced last year, it will feature two 20-minute halves with a running clock and no special teams. Other features include limited contact, blocking contact skills and soft-shell equipment, among others.

That was the first part of an equation of Multiple Entry Points + Quality Coaches = Positive Experience.

To cover the “quality coaches” portion, Hallenbeck mentioned several initiatives, including the following: Tip of the Spear Contact System: USA Football partnered with former NFL offensive lineman Scott Peters to teach the method, which combines jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts tactics to avoid repetitive hits. Peters displayed the system, which is already being used in various youth, high school, college and NFL programs, throughout the weekend.

Leadership and Culture System: Focus 3 CEO Brian Kight has used his leadership training system

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■■ Top: The 2018 USA Football National Conference in Orlando, Fla. ■■ Second row: The Live Field allowed coaches to demonstrate drills.

■■ Third row: From left, Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck, Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy.

■■ Fourth row: St. Ignatius (Ohio) coach Chuck Kyle and USA Football tackling expert Andy Ryland lead a tacking demo.

■■ Bottom: Former Seattle Seahawks assistant Rocky Seto leads a tackling drill.

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at Ohio State and Washington, and is now offering his resources as a series of courses through USA Football.

In an effort to respond to coach feedback, Hallenbeck said USA Football will endeavor to create a National High School Football Coaches Alliance, which will provide a national voice for high school coaches by high school coaches, promote high school football, enable professional development and promote coaches associations.

5 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE USA FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

■■ Top row, from left: Coaches watch a Live Field demo. Right: The Riddell display in the Vendor Village ■■ Second row: The Chalk Talk sessions allowed coaches to share X’s and O’s. Right: Trinity High (Ky.) coach Andrew Coverdale ■■ Third row: A Chalk Talk session; Right: The Tackle Tube display at Vendor Village ■■ Fourth Row: Get It Right Training System, HitCheck Sideline Concussion Test, 8K Solutions ■■ Bottom row: RockSolid Protective Equipment, Prevent Biometrics

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THE LIVE FIELD. Coaches led tutorial sessions in the vendor village on a makeshift field.

They had enough space to go through practice drills while explaining to an audience of captive coaches.

THE VENDOR VILLAGE. Coaches could peruse the latest technological advances in high school football by walking through the conference center and learning about the major equipment suppliers’ newest technology.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS. Coaches could network by pulling each other aside and sharing schemes or general philosophies on team building and leadership.

CHALK TALK SESSIONS. With a dryerase board and their disposal, coaches could get in front of other coaches and share their schemes, practice drills and game plan adjustments in the USA Football area.

INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKERS. Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, NFL front office executives, college coaches and high school legends addressed the audience and told inspirational stories from their lifetimes in the game.

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39

QUOTABLE

Many of the best football coaches and players provide inspiration to the people around them on a daily basis. We often present quotes from players and coaches on Twitter @FNFCoaches. The following quotes made the biggest impression on our followers.

Never Quit

Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it.

When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach it. Never quit.” –Bear Bryant

Remind your critics when they say you don’t have the expertise or experience to do something that an amateur built the ark and experts built the Titanic.” –Peyton Manning

DO SOMETHING

Be Humble

If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.” –Bear Bryant

BELIEVE

When you believe in yourself and the people you surround yourself with, you will win something really big someday.” –Dick Vermeil

I have yet to be in a game where luck was involved. Well-prepared players make plays. I have yet to be in a game where the most prepared team didn’t win.” –Urban Meyer

Prepare 40

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e v o r p m i y l s u o u n i t n o c e app

p Store p A e h t in Coaches F N F : h c r Sea

h t d a o l es down tech priz

hly t n o m am r n i g o r +W p l l otba o f r u o y cs i for t c a t n a epl m a g d ss a o e r c +r a s e h c from coathe country vice d a d n a s + insight fellow high from coaches school

CHAMPIONSHIP LEVEL TEAMS ARE BUILT IN THE OFFSEASON Tip of the Spear Contact System Clinics

SAFETY THROUGH

SUPERIOR TECHNIQUE

USA Football’s Tip of the Spear Contact System Clinics are your way to take full advantage of implementing a new approach to contact.

Two options designed for any program at any level.

Coach Clinic

Coach & Player Clinic

Three hours – trains your entire staff

Five hours – trains your coaching staff AND players

Classroom instruction Interactive, on-field coaching

Split into two parts: Part 1: Train up your coaches Part 2: Train your players

Learn the entire Level 1 program and customize it to your specific program

Gets your coaches out on the field to install and drill the entire system with your players

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS 3

Level 3 Scheme Specific

2 1

Level 2 Position Specific Contact Level 1 Principles of Contact

Fast-tracks skill mastery Teaches players how to dominate opponents with their hands and shoulders Previously available only to NFL coaches and players – now available for your entire program

Become a smarter, stronger and better team with a system focused on helping your program win.

Get started today at usafootball.com/clinic