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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


What You Must do to be a State Champion

We asked. You spoke. Here are the results.
by: Curt Block
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For the last four years AFM has conducted a nationwide survey of championship high school coaches on a cross section of subjects that ranged from style of play to educational and coaching backgrounds. The results provided some clear cut trends while other topics illustrated subtle shifts that merit attention. The conclusions most apparent were:

1. The consistent use of ‘feeder’ programs among state championship teams.
2. A constant in the number of returning starters combining offense and defense.
3. Similar numbers of both seniors and juniors on varsity teams.
4. An average of 3-5 seniors on championship teams, per year, that go on to play college football.
5. The overwhelming popularity on defense of the four man front.
6. The consistency of overall football budgets.

1. ‘Feeder’ programs: Over the four years of AFM’s State Champions Survey, more than two-thirds of the championship teams use a ‘feeder’ system; they run a middle school/junior high program for football that incorporates the same offense and defense the varsity uses. Over the past three years, the percentage of state champions using the feeder system is at 66.8 percent with each year the result being between 64 percent and 71 percent.

While a certain percentage of schools don’t run the feeder system, it’s a way of life in Texas. “Just about every high school in Texas – from 1-A to 5-A – has some form of feeder system,” said former Southlake Carroll (TX) Head Coach Todd Dodge. Now the head man at North Texas, Dodge and his Southlake Carroll Dragons have won three consecutive Texas State titles. Their record for the last five years: 79-1.

“I hire the coaches for the seventh and eighth grade teams and they start running our four wide-out, shotgun offense and 4-3 defense right away,” said Dodge. “It’s important to start our kids in the same system and, in a manner of speaking, have them speak the same language. For our offensive call sheet in last year’s state championship, I’d say about 60% of the plays called were those learned in the seventh grade.”

Steve Tutsie, Head Coach of reigning four-time state champion Warren Central in Indianapolis and last fall’s Schutt Sports National Coach of the Year, agrees with Coach Dodge. “Even our third and fourth grade teams as well as the fifth and sixth graders learn and run our varsity system. The coaches at that level do a great job of teaching and my biggest goal with the young players is to have them learn our terminology. One thing we do to make sure they’re all a part of our program is play their games – at all levels – on our varsity field.”

Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, KS won their fourth state championship last fall under the leadership of Head Coach Steve Rampy but the school does not have a feeder system. “We’re in a situation where we do not insist on the young players running our system but we do insist on our young coaches – who do a great job – teaching our kids the basic fundamentals of football. Rather than having a feeder system, I’m more concerned with our young players learning the proper techniques of blocking and tackling. I also want the kids to enjoy their football experience.”

2. Number of returning starters: Over the length of the survey, the number of returning starters on championship teams combining offense and defense has remained consistent. Of the 22 positions, each year the total number of returning starters has ranged from 11.4 to 12.2. The state champion teams, then, have had to replace about half of their starters on a yearly basis.

“I think there are some variables to consider relative to these numbers,” says Rampy. “One, you may have a program that has plenty of tradition that carries over year to year. Second, the senior mentality has the feeling of a ‘not on my watch attitude.’ By that, I mean they’re not going to let the tradition of their school fall while they’re still playing. Similarly, as is the case with many state champions, you have the added advantage of playing deep into the playoffs and having an extra four games or so with maybe a month more of practice time. Senior leadership is definitely a major factor and I believe first time senior starters are more concerned with upholding tradition than first year junior starters.”

Allan Trimble, leader of Oklahoma 6-A State Champion Jenks High School that completed a 13-1 season last fall believes, like Rampy, that tradition is a major part of the equation. “Certainly veteran players returning can be an advantage, especially if the returners are good players. To me, tradition, work ethic, spirit and pride don’t graduate and those are the truly important factors. But, I agree that returning a group of veteran players has it’s advantages provided they are still hungry for success from the previous campaign.”

J.T. Curtis, Head Coach of John Curtis Christian High School in River Ridge, LA has won 21 State Championships and has an overall 443-46-6 seasons in 38 years. “I think it’s very difficult to win early on when you’re trying to rebuild with a completely new nucleus of players. I think it’s a tremendous advantage when you have a nice mix of veteran players blended with new players. The mix is very important to get you through those early games. Even though you may have a number of veterans returning, having the foresight to play the younger players or next year’s players in situations where you can play them is really important. In my opinion, giving up a touchdown or not being as successful on offense the year prior to the year you’re talking about is not as important as giving those guys some game experience under fire. When you have a nice blend of returning players, especially with younger guys that have been under fire but considered starters from the year before, it makes the transition into tough competition much, much easier.”

Tutsie spoke about the priority of two platoon football: “I think the crucial part of this trend is the importance of two-platoon football. While you may have to replace half of your starters, it’s important to give the second units an opportunity to play and get some experience. Even if they’re not a starter, they have some experience coming into the next season. Football is also getting younger and I think, in our situation, some sophomores will play with the varsity.”

3. Numbers of juniors and seniors on varsity squads: Similarly, the number of juniors and seniors comprising the championship teams have been consistent over the four year cycle. The number of seniors on state champions has ranged from 16.2 to 18.7 over that period while the junior average has averaged from 17.3 to 19.1. The prevailing theory has always been that championship teams are heavily laden with seniors. The results of the state champions survey clearly indicates otherwise.

“I think that’s the sign of a good program when you have consistency at all levels,” said Pat Murphy, Head Coach of Capital High School in Helena, MT. Capital won the state championship last fall and Murphy was selected Montana High School Coach of the year. “I think you have a problem when you have 50 or so seniors and a limited number of juniors. Teams that are consistently successful have a mix at all levels.”

Curtis agrees. “I think this trend speaks to maturity and the ability of your team to learn through the experiences they’ve had. There’s an old saying in football that ‘for every sophomore you start, you can consider a loss.’ I think there’s some merit to that. If you’re working with too many sophomores working with seniors, you’re dealing with a less mature athlete, a less experienced athlete and an athlete that has not been in your program and does not know your system as well. I think there’s a different correlation, then, between the numbers of seniors and juniors on your team in terms of maturity, experience, and time in the program.”

According to Rampy, “One factor that may go into that is the idea that many seniors may decide not to play if the decision is made that they’re not going to be a starter. If they’re beaten out by a junior or sophomore their senior year they may decide not to play.”

4. The number of seniors that go on to play college football: With an average of 17 seniors per championship team over the four year period, an average of between three and five players, each year, will go on to play college football. That’s almost 25% of seniors that will then play at the next level.

“I think if you have kids that you know are going to play at that next level, it’s a good indicator of how your season is going to go,” says Murphy, a 24 year coaching veteran. “Those players that go on to play in college have to have a certain amount of talent, size, ability or potential. When, in our situation, we’re successful, we usually have five or six seniors move on to play in college.”

“Even if they don’t play college football, my number one goal is to get our kids into college,” says Warren Central’s Tutsie. “We’re fortunate that we have a lot of kids that go and play in college. Over the last six years we have had 101 kids playing college football. Knowing that you have kids that are going to play at the next level helps the overall confidence of your team.”

According to Trimble: “I believe there is a correlation to winning and the number of quality players your program has helped develop. Last year we signed four Division I-A players and four Division I-AA players. Also, in our past championship teams, there were many underclassmen who started and contributed that went on to sign when they graduated.”

“The players going to play at the next level become your go-to guys,” says Curtis. “They become the guys that have the physical ability to be able to perform and compete regardless of the team you’re playing against. They become the guys you depend upon to get the extra yard, to make the big catch. Knowing who to get the ball to offensively is just as important as the play that you call. When you’ve got a guy that you know is capable of playing at the next level, he becomes your go-to guy. I think there is a correlation between the two in terms of saying that you’ve got players having that kind of ability as opposed to guys that are just high school players. That doesn’t mean that with just high school players you can’t win a championship but I also believe there’s a difference between having a quality high school team and a team with a few players that will be playing in college. I think a team with great balance can also win but you know that when you have seniors at that level you depend on them to make the big tackle, to knock the ball down on a crucial pass attempt. They are players that can make a difference in the outcome of a game.”

5. The four-man front: Consistently throughout the survey, the four man defensive front reigns supreme among high school state champion defenses. Running almost neck-and-neck over four years of the survey were the 4-4 and 4-3 defenses. Each year the 4-4 and 4-3 collectively combined for over 40% of state champion defenses,

“In late November and December,” says Rampy, “you have to remember that in order to win a state championship, you have to do two things well: run the football and stop the run. While you may see a lot of spread offenses in Florida and Texas, there are a lot of traditional offenses in the Midwest that rely solely on the running game. You have to have a 4 man front to be effective and stop the run. You’re not going to be able to do it with a three man front.”

“We go up against a lot of 4-3 defenses,” says Murphy. “I think it’s prevalent because it’s easy to teach and it’s an aggressive defense plus a lot of area colleges use it and a number of high schools close by will use the same defense. But I think teaching defensive techniques and getting your players flying to the ball is more important than any front you use.”

Curtis agrees with Murphy: “I think there’s a trend to the four man front in college football and I think there’s a tendency for the high schools to follow that trend. The idea behind that is to have the linebackers active in defending the pass. In the 4-4, you’re playing more of a nickel type defense where you have five defensive backs on the field and two linebackers to help in defending both the run and the pass. I think that’s somewhat of a misnomer in that because what a lot of people are doing with the four man front is play an under/over defense. This really puts them in a five man front with the nose guard in the middle. Part of the strategy is to get your fast linebackers and safeties on the field at the same time.”

According to Tutsie: “There are defenses for everything but, in my opinion, the 4-4 defense is the overall best defense. Everyone, I believe, will have four defensive linemen that they can use. Probably the key is the outside linebackers that become a hybrid type of player. That is, guys that can cover the pass and also guys that can blitz. The 4-4 is also a simple defense to teach. We run it just like Virginia Tech does because we believe in pressure. I believe if you’re in a defense that does not bring pressure – at any level – you’re not helping your team and you’re putting your kids in a position where they cannot be successful. But a four man front and some kind of four back secondary – like a Cover 3 – is a safe way to bring pressure.”

“I really can’t remember a team winning a state championship in an odd front,” says Trimble, “except our Jenks team in 2001. That was because everyone threw the ball so much we ran our 3-2/3-4 Dime package most of the year. Pretty much everyone is in a 4-4 or 4-3 alignment in the championship games all around the area.”

6. Overall football budgets: The four year range of football budgets went from a low of $1,000 to a high of $500,000. In between, was a consistent four year average in the low $20,000’s. With so many programs having budgets below $10,000, the figures seem to indicate that budget was not a determining factor for success.

“I don’t think there’s a correlation between the money that is spent on the extras, the fluff stuff, and success,” says Curtis. “I think the basic fundamentals of things that are needed to win are not tied up in facilities and whether, for example, the kids buy there own cleats or you buy them out of your budget. It really doesn’t matter if the bus you drive to the game is brand new or five years old. I don’t think there’s a correlation between budget and winning on a consistent basis.”

The Capital High School program has roughly 200 players spread over four grades. “From freshmen to seniors, in our situation, we have about 200 kids come out for football, “ says Murphy. “As a bare minimum, we need $14 to $15,000. The school only picks up about half of that so we have to do some fundraising for the rest.

$20,000 would be great and I don’t know the situation with other schools. If you have bad equipment the kids just may not come out or if you have bad facilities they’re not as excited if you don’t have the latest stuff. I think it varies where some of the private schools may take in more money but I think $20,000, as an average, is an accurate number.”

“Many schools may have a large roster,” says Rampy. “They may not cut any players and therefore the uniform and equipment expense may be larger than other schools. Some may dress 100 players and another school may dress 45. But I don’t believe your budget correlates to your team’s success.”

To view AFM’s exclusive High School State Champions Survey for any of the last four years (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006) go to AFM’s web site: www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com





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