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

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EarleBruce

Active member
What do you guys think are the most effective and least effective offensive schemes coaches run in high school football today? I don’t mean which teams have the best offenses currently this year. I hear a lot of arm chair coaches talk on here (myself included) about what coaches should and shouldn’t do. Let’s say you just took over as a coach at at average sized high school in Ohio with average talent. Some classes have athletes some not so much. What offensive system do you install to be as successful as possible year in and year out? And also what do you emphasize within your program??
 
 
No I agree completely. But every team has to have some base philosophy. A spread option team won’t switch to a wing t for a few years because they have a big O line and a good back come through. So I guess the real question should have been which system best lends itself to varying talent.
 
EarleBruce said:
No I agree completely. But every team has to have some base philosophy. A spread option team won’t switch to a wing t for a few years because they have a big O line and a good back come through. So I guess the real question should have been which system best lends itself to varying talent.
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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.
 
Stirred not Shaken said:
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.
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The problem with that is the blocking schemes are completely different. ML is a dominant program in Ohio. Arguably the most dominant. If the average program tries to go from a zone blocking scheme to a big on big blocking scheme in one year it would be a disaster. Or at the very least slow the O line development.
 
One of the best scheme’s I was involved with was Lee Owens Run And Boot, it was a mix of the wing T and run and shoot. He used this at Galion to win a state title then a succesful run at Massillon. He still uses some of it at Ashland Univ. Years you had RB’s and a great line,you ran more, years you had a good throwing QB and a ok line you could throw more because it was misdirection running attack and roll out passing.
 
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.
 
firewatch said:
One of the best scheme’s I was involved with was Lee Owens Run And Boot, it was a mix of the wing T and run and shoot. He used this at Galion to win a state title then a succesful run at Massillon. He still uses some of it at Ashland Univ. Years you had RB’s and a great line,you ran more, years you had a good throwing QB and a ok line you could throw more because it was misdirection running attack and roll out passing.
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That’s what I’m talking about! A scheme that has versatility built in and you don’t have to completely change things from year to year. It makes you wonder why all schools wouldn’t do something similar. I’d say the ML scheme mentioned earlier is probably something like this. It just appears to be spread or I formation sometimes
 
dhsdog06 said:
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.
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Oh you must watch a lot of LaSalle games 😂😂 you just perfectly described their offense
 
I think for community teams that one way to have an advantage is to have the kids all come up in the same system. When they get to high school they've been running the scheme and are familiar with the terms and concepts. The trick for the good coaches is to add wrinkles based upon the kids then in the program.
 
I've watched football for more years than most in here, and what I've came to accept is what others have already stated, the best offense is the offense that gets the greatest advantage from the most players on the team.

This often gets very apparent at the lower division D5-7. At these smaller schools I believe some form of the wing T makes the best use out of a talented running back and a strong side line . D1, total different animal. Having said this, the MAC schools also do not meet this criteria. So regardless of size, adapt to talent.

For years the triple option at the small schools was outstanding as well.

Small schools who run the spread are generally not getting the best out of their players IMO.
 
D4fan said:
I've watched football for more years than most in here, and what I've came to accept is what others have already stated, the best offense is the offense that gets the greatest advantage from the most players on the team.

This often gets very apparent at the lower division D5-7. At these smaller schools I believe some form of the wing T makes the best use out of a talented running back and a strong side line . D1, total different animal. Having said this, the MAC schools also do not meet this criteria. So regardless of size, adapt to talent.

For years the triple option at the small schools was outstanding as well.

Small schools who run the spread are generally not getting the best out of their players IMO.
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Even at D1 schools I think a straight spread offense is too QB dependent. At least the version of it that most schools run.
 
D4fan said:
I've watched football for more years than most in here, and what I've came to accept is what others have already stated, the best offense is the offense that gets the greatest advantage from the most players on the team.

This often gets very apparent at the lower division D5-7. At these smaller schools I believe some form of the wing T makes the best use out of a talented running back and a strong side line . D1, total different animal. Having said this, the MAC schools also do not meet this criteria. So regardless of size, adapt to talent.

For years the triple option at the small schools was outstanding as well.

Small schools who run the spread are generally not getting the best out of their players IMO.
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Edison Chargers, D4/D5 in Erie and Huron Counties, had ran the triple option for years and does fine
 
Zeta16 said:
My take from officiating games is that 90% of teams that run the spread should not be running it.
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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.
 
If a team can be disciplined running the Wing T offense, it’s hard to not to gain 3-4 yards a pop. Problem is coaches and the players all to often get impatient with that style and start throwing when they can just sit back and grind the clock. It’s easy to say here but I’d like to think you can run a new style every year based on what you have coming back to your team, not just “this is what we run” mentality.
 
JackEd said:
If a team can be disciplined running the Wing T offense, it’s hard to not to gain 3-4 yards a pop. Problem is coaches and the players all to often get impatient with that style and start throwing when they can just sit back and grind the clock. It’s easy to say here but I’d like to think you can run a new style every year based on what you have coming back to your team, not just “this is what we run” mentality.
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My concern with doing that would be blocking. Spread teams primarily run zone run schemes where linemen have a gap and they double team up to LBs and backs have an aiming point and look for a cutback lane. No designated hole. I’m not a coach so I don’t know for sure but it seems like it would be very difficult to switch between that and a more traditional run blocking scheme each year and be any good at either one. That being said I think it’s nearly impossible to have a good run game in the spread unless you have a significant talent advantage or a complete stud at QB
 
Any offense that throws the football fewer than 10 times a game. Any defense is designed to stops the running game. History proves those two things win hs football games more consistently than all others.
 
If I had an average team with average players I would run the pistol wing-T. I would also replace the word “scheme” with “system” and use specific keywords for the line and backs where that keyword means the same thing no matter formation. Have multiple run and pass plays out of the same motions and backfield actions to keep the defense guessing.

To use “jet/rocket” as an example of an action you can run a multitude of plays. Sweep, counter, iso, power, and pass can all be run out of jet/rocket action. Blocking is either wedge, zone or GOD (Gap On Down).

The nice thing with the PWT is it can look like power or spread by formation. You can bring everyone in Tight and run power but also spread out a TE and still run power.

If my team has average players I want to use deception and execution to move the ball.
 
RollRedBuckeye said:
If I had an average team with average players I would run the pistol wing-T. I would also replace the word “scheme” with “system” and use specific keywords for the line and backs where that keyword means the same thing no matter formation. Have multiple run and pass plays out of the same motions and backfield actions to keep the defense guessing.

To use “jet/rocket” as an example of an action you can run a multitude of plays. Sweep, counter, iso, power, and pass can all be run out of jet/rocket action. Blocking is either wedge, zone or GOD (Gap On Down).

The nice thing with the PWT is it can look like power or spread by formation. You can bring everyone in Tight and run power but also spread out a TE and still run power.

If my team has average players I want to use deception and execution to move the ball.
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A couple tag words and you could run “spread” plays or I formation. That’s versatility! That’s what I’m talking about.
 
Triple or wing T if at a school with average talent. Wing T is a little more adaptable as talent allows. Full house, split back are along the same lines as far as systematic offenses goes. Usually those offenses keep you in games if you don’t have much talent or are undersized.

Obviously if you have really good athletes you need to adjust otherwise you’re an idiot lol or the kid (s) transfer.
 
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