Pioneers hope ‘T’ leads to a ‘W’: WCHS opts for more power-oriented attack
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Watching his linemen struggle to prevent the blitz in their option offense, the first-year WCHS coach determined that changes needed to be made if the Pioneers wanted to be successful moving the ball.
“We had people assigned to blitzing linebackers that we couldn’t get because of the position we had those guys in at wingbacks,” he noted earlier this week. “(Centennial) would blitz, and they’d be in the backfield faster than we could pick them up out of our option set.”
So while preparing this week for tonight’s game at Shelbyville, Tidwell and his staff altered the Pioneers’ flexbone offense, opting instead to run the ball out of the full-house “T” formation.
“If we keep running option football we’re going to be, at best, average at it, and we’re going to drop the ball on the ground,” he explained. “That just goes with the option, and we’re not that good at the option.
“So what we’re going to run is going to be the double option, and not the true triple like I hoped to be able to run.”
While meeting with the team, Tidwell said he asked the players what mentality they saw the Pioneers having, and was pleased with the responses he received.
“We wanted to know, offensively, what they wanted to be; what they saw us doing best,” he recalled. “We asked each one of them, and the answers we got back were ‘power,’ ‘smash-mouth’ and those terms — which is what we wanted to hear.
“They believe in that, and that’s going to be our strength if we have a strength. We’re going back to a toughman, blue-collar attitude, where we’re going to throw this power stuff at you, and misdirection power. If you can stop that, you might just whip our hind ends. But that’s what we’re going to be throwing at you.”
While six fumbles and an overall lack of success on option plays were two of the motivating factors behind the Pioneers’ move to the “T,” another strong reason was the success of fullback Mario Pezzimenti, who entered the backfield in the second half and finished with 78 yards and three touchdowns.
The 6-foot, 211-pound junior impressed his coaches so much during that half, he moved up to the No. 1 fullback slot on the offensive depth chart.
“He ran like he showed he was capable of last year, in games 8 and 9,” Tidwell said, “however my thinking was the way we need him to play defensively, he wouldn’t have the energy to play offense and defense. I wanted to spell him, and put him where he’s needed the most.
“But with this type of offense, our fullback needs to be a player that’s going to be a bruiser. We’d like to have a bruiser and speed, and if you’re going to pick you’d like to go with speed first. What Mario came in and did against some pretty decent defenders was impressive, so he’s going to be moved to fullback.”
Pezzimenti will still see significant time at linebacker, begging the question of whether fatigue will play a factor late in games. Tidwell noted that while he will attempt to keep Pezzimenti and the rest of his players as well-rested as possible, it’s still a must for the Pioneers to keep their best athletes on the field as much as possible.
“He’ll get some breaks on offense with Ramsey Black at fullback, but we’re in a position where we’ve got to play our best athletes both ways, and you’ve got to go,” he said. “Back when I played high school football, which is only back in ’85, I was always upset with my coach at pulling me off of anything, whether it be kickoff or extra points. I had the mentality of, ‘What have I done wrong?’
“These kids have got to get that same mentality, and it’s not just our kids that have lost that, it’s kids everywhere.”
While establishing the run will be key for the Pioneer offense, stopping Shelbyville’s ground attack will be just as important. In last year’s meeting, the Golden Eagles’ Jaymond Perry ran for three first-half touchdowns, benefitting from an offensive line that won the battle of the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Perry is back for his senior season, as is quarterback J.T. Carkuff, who completed 12 of his 14 passes last year at WCHS for 169 yards. Carkuff’s main target from that game, William Washington, was lost to graduation, but the Eagles boast a corps of experienced receivers, including junior Aled Marable, who burned the Pioneers for 55 receiving yards on two catches last year, including a 38-yard TD reception.
Tonight’s game at Shelbyville kicks off at 7 p.m.