Best and worst offenses in HS football (scheme not team)

The bubble is my least favorite play in football

When executed with great athletes and good blocks, it's a dynamic play.

Unfortunately when it goes wrong, it's a loss or very short gain and you're now in 2nd and 3rd and long. Which is the last thing that lesser athletic team can afford.

Like any play, it has positives and negatives. Just can't run it as your base offense or against vastly superior teams and expect success.
 
A couple tag words and you could run “spread” plays or I formation. That’s versatility! That’s what I’m talking about.
So assuming my line is average and aren’t big, I would probably never line up in a straight I formation. It would be more motioning a back in formation to make that block (I.e. iso, kick, lead, wham, etc).
 
I think the thing I hate more than anything in high school football offenses are those damn check with me plays.
Why? You motion and they shift run opposite. They don’t shift you run what is usually the called play. I’ve had 5th graders run check with me’s with great success.
 
Why? You motion and they shift run opposite. They don’t shift you run what is usually the called play. I’ve had 5th graders run check with me’s with great success.
It seems to kill any momentum an offense has. And if you are running it in little league I’d say 99% of the time you are smarter and more prepared than the DC. In high school I feel like it helps the defense as much as the offense.
 
Yeah. Talent hasn't sufficiently developed. Wing-T and Triple Option are ideal frameworks for development of strength, teamwork, and execution. 93% of the kids won't play at the next level. Let them have fun doing something well instead of playing daddy compensation ball.
But no!! My son needs to be the focal point of everything. Remember, he once threw three touchdowns in a sixth grade game against cloverleafs b squad.
 
They run that year in and year out successfully no matter the personnel? I’m not familiar with the program at all
They haven’t won Jack with the 5 wide , ask mentor the same it’s a one dimensional offense. Even with Mitch tribsky and Drew Allar they failed to win the big one.
 
As others have said, the best system is the one that utilizes the most out of the talent you have.

Back in my day (early 2000s) Kenton was revolutionary with their 5 wide no huddle air raid. I loved playing them because I loved watching it in action, but I hated playing against it. They had the talent to do it though.

St. Marys; where I’m from, has been running some version of the Wing-T since Skip Baughman first became head coach back in 1959. I think it’s a criteria to apply for head coach. However, that system was engrained into the community. I don’t know if it’s still like this, but the pee wee coaches used to meet with the hs coaches and do THE EXACT SAME THING. From the time I was in 3rd grade to senior year, the only thing that changed was the snap count.

Which brings me to another point, you need consistently in the program. If your Varsity HC changes every 3-4 years, you can’t instill a good system.

With that being said, I like a multi yet basic system on other sides of the ball. On offense, a mix of power and zone, so you can lean on either depending on the opponent with simple pass concepts to play action off of any of it. On defense, finding a way to have multiple coverages that base and look like the same shell. Again, so you can lean on one more than the other depending on opponent.
 
I’m going to add something (this topic perked my interest)

I feel like not very many teams run “systems” anymore but rather plays. I see so many coaches that act like they went in the Madden settings, made a custom playbook, and called it a day.

Again, back when I played each week you had to prep for a different offense.
Week 1-Wing T
Week 2-Split Veer
Week 3-Air Raid

Now, most are somewhere in the middle, but football goes in cycles and I can see a shift going back to actual “systems”
 
As others have said, the best system is the one that utilizes the most out of the talent you have.

Back in my day (early 2000s) Kenton was revolutionary with their 5 wide no huddle air raid. I loved playing them because I loved watching it in action, but I hated playing against it. They had the talent to do it though.

St. Marys; where I’m from, has been running some version of the Wing-T since Skip Baughman first became head coach back in 1959. I think it’s a criteria to apply for head coach. However, that system was engrained into the community. I don’t know if it’s still like this, but the pee wee coaches used to meet with the hs coaches and do THE EXACT SAME THING. From the time I was in 3rd grade to senior year, the only thing that changed was the snap count.

Which brings me to another point, you need consistently in the program. If your Varsity HC changes every 3-4 years, you can’t instill a good system.

With that being said, I like a multi yet basic system on other sides of the ball. On offense, a mix of power and zone, so you can lean on either depending on the opponent with simple pass concepts to play action off of any of it. On defense, finding a way to have multiple coverages that base and look like the same shell. Again, so you can lean on one more than the other depending on opponent.
They sure were fun to watch. Even the maty led teams of '09-'11. I loved how they always went for 2. Statistically, I read somewhere its more advantageous to go for 2, yet not very many do.
 
When I played back in the day we did not even have a kicker for extra points and field goals. The only soccer played was kicking the ball up and down the filed in gym. Always went for two points.
 
I believe if you have a really good running back - I formation is the way to go. If you have an athletic QB go to the spread its not rocket science. Marion Local's game vs New Bremen the Flyers were in a spread offense for 3 qtrs. except when they were near the goal line than went to the I and in the 4 th qtr. went exclusively to the I formation. Nothing is more irritating than watching a team have 1st and goal inside the 3 yd. line and not having a full back in the game. If little D6 Marion Local can switch from I to spread anybody esp. bigger schools should be able to do it. But most important is having a good defense, defense still wins championships.
 
I think as offenses move further and further apart, it's actually becoming more simple, it doesn't matter the scheme one bit if your dudes aren't as good as theirs. I had this revelation watching Chardon last year in the state finals, very basic offense and they just mulch ppl up front.
 
Marion Local in 2017 was mostly a Pro I team than the following year mostly a spread offense if I remember correctly. Most important is to put the correct players at the right position and execution. Always believed it is better to fit your system around your talent then visa - versa.
Lot of big boys in the trenches that year. Very fun to watch. If I'm not mistaken that was the class Goodwin told them he would take a sabbatical and hike the Appalachian trail when they were freshman. 😂
 
I think as offenses move further and further apart, it's actually becoming more simple, it doesn't matter the scheme one bit if your dudes aren't as good as theirs. I had this revelation watching Chardon last year in the state finals, very basic offense and they just mulch ppl up front.
This right here is the true answer. If you have good players, the scheme will work. If you don't have good players, it will not work. No one is re-inventing the wheel with what they are doing, they are all schemes that have been implemented and worked before at some level. The best scheme is having good Jimmy and Joe's that are athletic and work hard in the off-season. Now defense, I think is a different story. A poor defensive scheme can really limit a team, even if they have the dudes.
 
I do very much dislike when a team is inches from line to gain or goal line and stay in shotgun, especially if you have a taller QB. If it’s 3rd and inches, just get the first down with an easy sneak and move the chains, the Tom Brady Special.
 
This year Bay Village is running the single wing. It's crazy to watch. Sometimes their QB is leading the blocking for the running back. There is a lot of deception. The best thing about it is it keeps the clock moving. Very few passes and no one for Bay Village goes out of bounds, so games are over quickly.
 
I can see this both ways. I think if there's continuity from the younger grades up, a set scheme is great. The kids run it in 7th grade, it's there in 8th, it's there through high school. They get a chance to learn it inside and out and that's one less issue later.

But it's also a huge waste if you have athletes all over the place and run the Wing T, for example.

Personally I like some form of a spread, with built in versatility than when we need that tough yard or on the goal line we can go under center and play old school, smash mouth football.

One thing I see far too much these days though are coaches trying to force the read option and bubble screens with less athletic teams and bad Olines. For the love of God, if your WRs, TEs, and Ts can't hold a block, don't expect a bubble screen to be broken into a big play. You're setting yourself up for failure that way.
Never understood this. At least wing t teams can give the ball to their best athletes. A lot of spread teams have good athletes and can't ever get them the ball.
 
This right here is the true answer. If you have good players, the scheme will work. If you don't have good players, it will not work. No one is re-inventing the wheel with what they are doing, they are all schemes that have been implemented and worked before at some level. The best scheme is having good Jimmy and Joe's that are athletic and work hard in the off-season. Now defense, I think is a different story. A poor defensive scheme can really limit a team, even if they have the dudes.
I agree with what you are saying. The team with better players wins 99% of the time regardless of scheme. But as a coach you have to run something! And if your not sure year in and year out if you will have better players or not what offense would you run?
 
The best scheme is the scheme that takes the best elements of each different scheme and puts them together imo. For example, running wing-t concepts out of the pistol, and going uptempo no huddle. This mixes 3 different schemes and each element compensates for the other. Pistol to incorporate more QB option and enhance the ability to pass, no huddle and up tempo to keep bigger D-lines on their heels and wear them down along with the quick hitting runs of the wing-t. I’m a firm believer that the Wing-T works for schools with good athletes and smaller lines and when ran well gives the team running it a chance. However sometimes it does limit a team if they get behind early.
 
This year Bay Village is running the single wing. It's crazy to watch. Sometimes their QB is leading the blocking for the running back. There is a lot of deception. The best thing about it is it keeps the clock moving. Very few passes and no one for Bay Village goes out of bounds, so games are over quickly.
Wow! Do they use the unbalanced line with both tackles on the same side of the formation? I've never heard of a present team running the single wing, that's a 1920s offense.

I bet the defenses Bay plays absolutely hate not knowing which back will receive the snap.
 
The best scheme is the scheme that takes the best elements of each different scheme and puts them together imo. For example, running wing-t concepts out of the pistol, and going uptempo no huddle. This mixes 3 different schemes and each element compensates for the other. Pistol to incorporate more QB option and enhance the ability to pass, no huddle and up tempo to keep bigger D-lines on their heels and wear them down along with the quick hitting runs of the wing-t. I’m a firm believer that the Wing-T works for schools with good athletes and smaller lines and when ran well gives the team running it a chance. However sometimes it does limit a team if they get behind early.
I agree, the Wing T had us looking stupid! If you carry out fakes, it’s over!
 
I'd say the one that gives you the most consistent chance for success is the wing T or option. Simple plan, all execution and you can't "stack" up one side.
If you have QB's that can throw and 3-4 kids that can run and catch, I like the spread. If you have a kid that can do the shotgun snap consistenly, the need for good linemen lessens. The QB can get the ball out. Now if you are truly blessed with a QB that can throw AND run, you've really got something because as the title says, you "spread" out the defense and create natural running lanes. Very few smaller schools have multiple DB's that can cover.
 
The perfect offense is a multiple look with a base of 4 wide in the gun with the ability to go 11, 20, and 21 personnel. A multiple scheme allows flexibility between years in which you have the guys to throw the ball 30x a game or if you have to run it 70% of the time without completely scrapping the playbook. A zone run game is always gonna be a staple of a spread type offense but I prefer more of a power/counter scheme for the majority of the time which can give a play caller more of a heavy play action pass option off of it. As with most schemes, curl/flat concepts, verticals concepts, mesh concepts, and levels concepts are always gonna be there, it just depends on how you draw it up specifically. I like a passing game that is built around the idea that you have 10 plays that have a player ending up in the same spot on each play but who gets there and how is different. This makes it easier for the QB because instead of learning 10 different reads for 10 different plays he is learning 1 read for 10 plays.
 
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