The strategy for high school football offense is cyclical, and for the last ten or fifteen years the spread offense has been all the rage. From the gun or under center, the quarterback can more effectively read the defense and stretch the field in the spread set.
Of course—as with every football strategy—the unit is only as good as the line play, and in the spread offense the offensive line play is equal parts paramount and difficult.
The tackles are asked to go one-on-one more often than not. The guards have to be able to combo block on the backers and neutralize the second level. And with all the different defenses that work to slow down the spread, the center has to be the captain of reading and reacting.
In other words, a spread offense needs a smart, athletic group of young men on the front line in order to light up the scoreboard. In Eric Wright, Kelly Harpham, Ray Villanueva, Oliver Robertson and Theo Sheridan, that’s exactly what the Lakewood Lancers have—and the numbers speak for themselves.
Lakewood lost a star running back this summer, but for this offensive line, it doesn’t matter who totes the rock. The three-headed monster in the backfield of Alley Long, Rashad Wadood and Terrance Woods has chewed up 1,823 yards on just 263 carries (7yd avg). The front five has started every game this season and has kept quarterback Jesse Scroggins’ jersey clean. They’ve only allowed nine sacks this year, but that’s nothing new. Scroggins was only sacked seven times last year, and five times the year before that.
“They’re just so athletic and their work ethic is amazing,” says Scroggins of his guardians. “I don’t think I’ve ever been sacked from the blind side… and I have to take half the blame for the sacks, that’s how good they are.”
A lot of that credit has to go to offensive line coaches Rick Harpham and Vince Lobendaun. Joining the staff at Lakewood four years ago when head coach Thadd MacNeal arrived, Harpham has been able to coach his sons Casey and Kelly, all under the banner of one word that says it all: BEAST.
“It’s a state of mind,” says coach Harpham. “It’s Brothers Establishing Attitude, Speed and Tempo. Just like today, we start with stance and start—how you get off the ball with aggressiveness. In this offense it’s a lot of one-on-one, where you have to be better than your man—that’s the attitude.”
The attitude is what feeds the speed and tempo of the Lancers that has frustrated front sevens all year long. “This isn’t the biggest group, but it is the most athletic group we’ve had,” says coach Harpham.
That athleticism is personified by the coach’s son, left guard Kelly Harpham. The 6’2” 260lb junior—who started next to his brother last season—is doing double duty this year as the kicker. Yes, the kicker.
“We were looking for a kicker this summer, and I was like ‘I can toe poke it’. At first people laughed and called me two-step, but it works,” says Harpham.
Also returning to start at guard is captain Oliver Robertson. The 5’11” 280lb senior is deceivingly quick and works very well on combo blocks with center Ray Villanueva. The 5’11” 225lb middleman (who is in Explorers, training to be a fireman) has been a rock all season and hasn’t blundered a snap (shotgun or otherwise) this year.
The athleticism and quickness doesn’t stop there as juniors Theo Sheridan and Eric Wright have dominated pass rushers. The 6’1” 260lb Sheridan and 6’3” 233lb Wright both came to Lakewood as freshman ready to play basketball. Soon enough, they found their way to the football field for the first time in their lives. Obviously, Scroggins is very thankful for that.
“There is no ego in this unit,” says coach Harpham. “These are five quality guys… Never do I hear, ‘no coach, I can’t do that’… I would be proud to call any of them as my son… It’s all about trust. They trust me to get them ready, and I trust them to go out there and get it.”
Getting it this week will be one of the toughest tasks of the year as Bishop Amat comes to the Wood on Friday with a stout front seven—namely senior defensive lineman Daniel Kane, who is averaging almost four tackles a game.
But Lakewood is used to seeing those types of game breakers lined up across from them, and since coach MacNeal and his staff arrived four years ago, the Lancers have always had a solid group to go up against them. It’s a five-step plan:
1) It starts with good weight room work with coach Harpham and strength coach Bruce Stinson.
2) They prove themselves at big man competitions in the summer—like the annual one in Santa Fe, which the Lancers have won the last two years. (right, with trophy)
3) They spend hours studying blocking techniques and responsibilities.
4) They get a great look from the scout team every week, a unit Harpham says is “as good as some teams we see.”
5) Then, they take the field and do their jobs, while everyone else gets the headlines.
It’s just another season for a bunch of BEASTs.