Spread offense takes root at the high school level

Friday November 14, 2008 7:00 PM
Team (Record)	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	Total
Turner (5 - 6)	0	0	0	7	7
St. Thomas Aquinas (11 - 2)	6	7	8	6	27

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Source: The Star

JOHN SLEEZER | THE KANSAS CITY STAR

The spread offense has allowed Blue Valley’s Anthony Abenoja (right) to throw for more than 2,440 yards and 21 touchdowns so far this season.

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Steve Rampy has never been afraid to try a different approach.

That’s why Rampy, who has won four state titles as Blue Valley’s head football coach since 1985, was one of the first coaches in Johnson County to adopt a single-back offense in the early 1990s. He was also one of the first to use a pistol-spread offense, which the Tigers executed to perfection when they went 13-0 and won the 2006 5A state title.

But after going 4-5 in 2007 and watching his offense struggle in a 29-7 season-opening loss to Manhattan this year, Rampy decided that running the option didn’t fit the talents of his pass-first quarterbacks.

So he decided to go to a no-huddle spread offense, similar to the ones that Missouri and Kansas run, to better take advantage of his quarterbacks’ passing ability.

And the Tigers haven’t looked back. Since then, Blue Valley has won nine straight and averaged 35 points a game heading into its 6A state quarterfinal game at 7 tonight at BV Northwest.

Blue Valley isn’t the only playoff team in Kansas to find success with a pass-heavy spread offense. St. Thomas Aquinas, 9-1 entering a 5A quarterfinal at home tonight against Turner, has averaged almost 35 points a game with a spread attack of its own.

“The concepts are just so sound,” Aquinas coach Kevin Kopecky said. “Our basic philosophy is to take what the defense gives us. It makes so much sense.”

While there are many variations of the spread, such as the pass-happy style of Texas Tech or the spread-option style employed by Michigan, the offense uses plenty of three-, four-, and five-receiver sets to extend defenses and exploit weaknesses.

Rampy likes it because the spread forces defenses to decide whether it wants to stop the run or the pass.

“You can outnumber us in the box and stop us from running the football, but you can’t stop us from throwing,” Rampy said. “Conversely, you can spread people out and get some numbers on the outside that make it tough for us to throw the ball, but you don’t have much chance to stop us from running.”

For the spread to work, Kopecky says that you have to have good receivers and an accurate quarterback. Having a physical offensive line and a quarterback who can run are big advantages, too.

With two linemen who weigh more than 320 pounds apiece, Blue Valley has the right kind of line. It protects junior quarterback Anthony Abenoja, who has thrown for more than 2,440 yards and 21 touchdowns, and opens holes for senior running back Treveor Cornley, who has run for 662 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“We can take advantage of whatever the defense is designed to take away,” said Rampy, who calls his own offensive plays from the press box during games. “But you have to be willing to throw the ball at any time. If you don’t, teams won’t spread with you and can stop you.”

Aquinas throws the ball, too. Quarterback Ricky Nachbar has completed 151 of 270 passes for 2,259 yards and 23 touchdowns. Senior Gabe Cunning is Aquinas’ leading rusher with 340 yards.

Like Blue Valley, the Saints throw a lot of quick passes that help to neutralize the pass rush, because the ball is usually gone before linemen can get to the quarterback.

“The basis of it is almost like sandlot football,” Kopecky said. “If a guy won’t let me go deep, I go short. Whatever he does, I’m doing the opposite. We run a lot of choice routes.”

And stopping the spread only gets harder when you throw in the no-huddle, something that Blue Valley uses frequently because it wears down defenses and allows coaches to see what the defense is doing before they call a play.

However, the high-flying spread carries the risk of interceptions, too. Abenoja has thrown 10 picks this year, and Nachbar has eight.

“Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy,” Kopecky said.

And in addition to all of its strategic advantages, the spread is also fun for the players.

“If you go watch kids playing football at a park, they are not running the wishbone or the power I-formation,” Rampy said. “They are going five-wide and throwing it around.”

With the right players, the spread’s tantalizing matchup possibilities and big-play potential are just too great to ignore.

“In the old days, if you got a holding penalty you wouldn’t have any plays on your playsheet for third and 15,” said Kopecky, who ran a conventional I-formation offense at Aquinas until he switched to the spread in 2006.

“The possibility of having to gain 15 yards (on one play) was intimidating.

“But now it’s like, ‘OK, we’ll get just get 30.’ ”

submitted by TEREZ A. PAYLOR - 2008-11-13 21:35:01