Schutt Sports Regional High School Coaches of the Year

by: Dan Weil
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East Region: Jeff Weachter
Bishop McDevitt HS, Harrisburg (PA)

Jeff Weachter, 40, led Bishop McDevitt high school in Harrisburg, PA to a 13-1 record this season, reaching the semifinals of the state 4A division. Pure football talent explains a lot of the school’s success, Weachter said. Five of his players were recruited by Division I colleges.

But the team had to overcome some adversity. LeSean McCoy, ranked as the top running back in the country by some recruiting services, went down for the season with a broken ankle in only the fourth game. That was after he had already run for nearly 900 yards.

“I’m very proud of the team – that we still won without him,” Weachter said. “The defense really stepped up. It was strong the whole way through. We made the final four in last year’s state playoffs too, so they were ready for the challenge.”

On offense, Weachter changed his game plan after McCoy’s injury, shifting from running the ball 60 percent of the time to passing the ball 50-55 percent of the time. “We had great senior leadership, particularly from quarterback Jeremy Ricker,” the coach said. “Not only his play, but his leadership shined through when LeSean went down.”

The key on offense was finding a way to deliver the ball to receiver Aaron Berry, one of the Division I recruits, Weachter said. “When LeSean went down, everyone was double covering him,” the coach said of Berry. He and his assistants solved that problem by directing Berry deep down the field. “Aaron would beat the underneath coverage, and then we would send him against a safety,” the coach said. He ended up with nearly 65 catches for more than 1,200 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Base Offense: Pro-style multiple I formation
Base Defense: 4-3
Key statistic: Even after McCoy’s injury, the team rushed for 1,800 yards in 10 games.

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West Region: Kevin Rooney
Notre Dame High School (Sherman oaks, CA)

Kevin Rooney, 55, led Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks (CA) to a 13-1 record, reaching the finals of the California Southern Section Division III. “It was all the coaching,” Rooney quipped. But more seriously, he said, “It was a combination of things. It starts with having good players who care a great deal about what they’re doing. They were unselfish and worked together as a team.”

In addition, Rooney said, “The administration was supportive, the coaching staff works so hard, and the support of our school in general all makes it possible to have a good season.”

On defense, the team did nothing different from Rooney’s prior 25 years as head coach. “We work hard at developing fundamental techniques and reaction,” he said. “The players executed those things well. That’s probably the most important part of a good defense.” In addition, the team’s variety of blitzes, including zone blitzes, kept their opponents off guard.

On offense, the team’s option/shotgun offense, similar to that used by University of Utah, was successful, “because we had a quarterback who was a real good runner – Garrett Green,” Rooney said. It also didn’t hurt that tailback Rodney Glass ran for more than 2,000 yards.

Special teams were a big part of the team’s success this season, just as they were throughout the team’s 35-game win streak that ended in 2005, Rooney commented. Kicker Kai Forbath, who set the California state kick scoring record last season, made a tremendous contribution, the coach said. An astounding 85 percent of Forbath’s kickoffs were touchbacks. “He was our punter too,” Rooney said. “He just had a big impact.”

Base Offense: Multiple option
Base Defense: 5-2 (Okie)
Key statistic: The team was plus 21 in turnovers.

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Midwest Region: Rob Zvonar

Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort (IL)

Rob Zvonar, 55, led Lincoln-Way East of Frankfort, IL to a 14-0 record that included the state Class 8A championship this season. That’s not bad for a program that just started in 2001. “There are three main factors,” Zvonar said. “First, a lot of these kids played last year as sophomores and juniors. Second, we had a summer training camp at Carthage College in Wisconsin. That helped build team unity and leadership as well as football skills.”

And finally, part of the coaching staff went to Athens, GA for a program called 'Winning with Character.' “It’s a comprehensive course about developing morals and social values for young men,” Zvonar said. “We were able to spend 20-30 minutes per week with each student on their values off the field. Hopefully we built some skills they can use as employees, husbands and fathers.”

Zvonar also was able to keep his team focused on each task as it came, rather than looking too far ahead. “We tried to get the most out of every day, whether we were lifting, watching film, doing character education or working on the practice field,” he said. “We were able to put individual goals aside for the good of the team. We didn’t have a lot of kids who will play Division I, but they sacrificed for the good of the team. That’s a little unusual for young people today in this selfish society.”

On offense, the team benefited from its balance, dividing plays almost evenly between run and pass. “Depending on what the defense gave us, we could run to set up the pass, or pass to set up the run,” Zvonar said. “It’s a real tribute to Offensive Coordinator Joel Pallissard.” The defense was very physical and ran to the ball well, the coach commented, with Lincoln-Way East giving up less than 10 points per game.

Base Offense: Double wing
Base Defense: 4-4
Key Statistic: The team averaged 35 points per game, while giving up only 9.

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South Region: Gus Malzahn
Springdale HS (AR)

Gus Malzahn, 40, led Springdale High School in Springdale (AR) to a 14-0 record and the Class 5A state title. Malzahn has done such a good job in his 14 years as head coach of Springdale that he was recently named offensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas.

“We had an extreme amount of talent,” Malzahn said, explaining this season’s success for Springdale. “We had nine starters back on offense, and six on defense. We had a veteran coaching staff that did an excellent job and a strong group of senior leaders.” In addition, he said, “We had great parents that believed in the coaches and the system. Put all that together, and you have the keys to our success.”

The players at all five skill positions on offense are going on to play football at Division I schools. “That was definitely something new for our team and our state,” Malzahn said. “With our hurry-up, no huddle, two-minute offense that we ran the whole game, most of our games were over by halftime.”

Of course that style also means that the defense spends a lot of time on the field. “Our defense played great all year,” Malzahn said. “The most points they gave up in a game was 21. They have great stamina. Our biggest guy was 235 pounds, but all of them can run.”

Kicker Alex Tejada also was a difference maker, Malzahn said. “He kicked a 55-yard field goal and already holds the state record for extra points made. Most of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.” Summing up the season, the coach said, “It was just one of those years where we were fortunate to have everything, particularly our health.”

Base Offense: Hurry-up spread
Base Defense: Robber, a version of a 4-3 where the middle linebacker is half defensive back/half linebacker
Key Statistic: Multi-position player Damian Williams scored a touchdown every third time he touched the ball – 37 in total.

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Southeast Region: George Smith
St. Thomas Aquinas HS (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

George Smith, 57, led St. Thomas Aquinas high school of Fort Lauderdale (FL) to a 13-1 record and an appearance in the Class 5A championship game. “The main reason for our success,” Smith said, “is that our staff has been together for a long time.” He has coached the team for 29 years and three of his assistants have been there for more than 20 years. “The kids know what is expected playing in our program,” Smith said.

The talent of his players didn’t hurt either, with about 10 of them being recruited to play at Division I schools. The team had two veteran running backs, and quarterback Wes Carroll threw for 1,667 years and 29 touchdowns. Offensive lineman Sam Young was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida, a very rare honor for a player at his position.

The team runs to set up the passing game and amassed 2,700 yards on the ground. St. Thomas Aquinas ran the ball on about two-thirds of its plays, much less than in the past two to three years, Smith said. “The offense threw the ball more than usual because of Wes Carroll,” he said.

On defense, lineman Gene Atkins was 5A Player of the Year in Florida. While the squad relied on underclass linebackers, “they played pretty well with Gene and the other kids that came back,” Smith said. The defense played quite aggressively, he said. “They played pretty physical, blitzing here and there. They weren’t that big, but they were pretty quick.”

And on special teams, kicker Brett Swenson, who is going on to play at Michigan State, sent about 95 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

Base Offense: Multiple I formation
Base Defense: Multiple formations, alternating between three and four man fronts
Key Statistic: The team scored an average of 39 points a game while allowing an average of 14.

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