GREENFIELD — Some call it ground-and-pound. To others, the option offense is the epitome of misdirection, execution or the old adage of “3 yards and a cloud of dust.”
For Greenfield-Central head coach Travis Nolting and his Cougars, the scheme is their identity, lunch pail and all.
From top to bottom, the football program lives the wishbone offense. The seven-man front is now a hallmark at the Greenfield Youth Football League level, and it’s paying dividends for the varsity team in Nolting’s second year at Greenfield-Central.
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Case in point, last week’s record-setting 532 yards rushing on 71 carries by the Cougars against Hoosier Heritage Conference opponent New Castle.
At 7.5 yards per rushing attempt, the Cougars shattered the program’s previous single-game record of 524 yards set against Yorktown in 1999.
More importantly, they won their third game in five weeks, which already pushed them ahead of last year’s 2-9 season record.
But, why run the option offense as opposed to the spread or some other pass-heavy variation?
“The whole philosophical approach to why we do what we do and how we do it is because nobody else does it. You’re going to be hard pressed to find a team that’s going to lineup in double-tight, wishbone against you in the state. I can probably count on one hand how many teams do that now still,” Nolting said.
A former assistant coach at Greensburg for Eric Schreiber, a 1992 Griffith High School graduate, Nolting adopted the wishbone offense essentially through the Russ Radtke coaching tree.
Radtke, who is 373-144 in his 43-year coaching career, ran the offense exclusively in Griffith, which led to a state title in 1997 and 14 sectional titles from 1994 through 2019, both with the Panthers and at New Prairie (2013-2019).
Nolting took what he learned from Schreiber in Greensburg in the early 2000s and used it to lead North Central (Farmersburg) to seven winning seasons and a sectional title in 2018.
At 3-4 on the season, the Cougars are trending in the right direction behind the offense, turning an 0-2 start into a near .500 record with the Class 4A Sectional 21 tournament ahead of them tonight at home against HHC rival Pendleton Heights.
Last year, the Pendleton Heights Arabians (6-3) knocked off the Cougars in the sectional tournament 42-7. The Arabians won their regular-season meeting on Sept. 11, which marked their fifth consecutive victory over Greenfield-Central.
In the rematch, the result could be different with the Cougars barreling towards a potential repeat of 2016, the last time they beat the Arabians, 31-18.
“We’re a lot different team than we were at the beginning of the year. The 14-day layoff kind of hurt us a little bit because we had five practices to prepare for Mt. Vernon and nine practices to prepare for Pendleton. Those were two tough opponents,” Nolting said. “We feel a little bit better where we are right now. The kids are excited and ready to play.”
The Cougars were slowed this past August due to COVID-19 quarantine requirements, which shut down the program’s training and postponed their season for two weeks.
The situation delayed their season opener until Sept. 5 against Mt. Vernon, which cost them two games on the their schedule.
In recent weeks, the Cougars have finally found their rhythm through patience.
“The difference maker for us in closing the gap with teams has been the consistency we’ve had with the program. We’re not changing things. We have an identity. We’re an option team. We’re a bone-option team,” Nolting said. “We’ve stuck with what we’re doing.”
As a team, the Cougars have rushed for 2,055 yards on 332 carries with 22 touchdowns scored. In five of seven weeks, Greenfield-Central has surpassed 200 or more yards on the ground with at least two rushing touchdowns in all but one game.
Last week, senior quarterback Lance Mckee amassed 266 yards on 26 rushing attempts with three touchdowns en route to a lopsided 42-22 victory over New Castle.
“He’s an electric player. He’s a special player,” Nolting remarked on his quarterback. “It’s a true testament to his work ethic in the offseason. He put on about 25-30 pounds of muscle and got stronger. He committed himself to the weight room, and he committed himself to football this summer. It’s paying off.”
The team’s comfort in the scheme, particularly up front on the line, has been crucial to their positive progression.
The offensive line consisting of senior guard Scott Stanley (5-foot-10, 230 pounds) and junior Larry Bellows (6-1, 260) paired with senior center Anthony Wallace (6-2, 320) and tackles Skylar Huffman (6-3, 185), a senior, and senior Kyle Proper (6-1, 250) provides Mckee the protection he needs on the fly.
Seniors Caleb Mcintire (6-4, 215) and Chris O’Connor (6-3, 190) at tight end complete a formidable wall.
“(Last week) is also a testament to the offensive line we have. Anytime we can rush the ball for over 500 yards that’s a big statement with what type of guys we have up front blocking for us,” Nolting said. “You have to dedicate yourself fully to (the option). Our kids, we tell them every year, we have to get 100s of thousands of reps.”
With limited preparation, the Cougars struggled early, posting only 88 yards rushing in their first game against Mt. Vernon on Sept. 5.
Since, they haven’t fallen below 189.
Part of their efficiency is repetition. The other is intelligence, which Mckee shows with snap decisions on the run and with his football I.Q.
“Not only is Lance athletic, but he makes the decision on who gets the ball. I’m not calling that from the sideline. I’m calling the play, and Lance is deciding whether he’s going to give it or keep it based on the read that’s made,” Nolting said. “When you run an offense like that whether it’s wishbone, zone read or whatever the case, you put the ball in the hands of the quarterback in the decision making process, so you have to have a smart kid in there. It’s not easy to be an option quarterback.”
Mckee is making it look seamless.
In seven games, he’s rushed for 967 yards and 12 touchdowns with Andrew Zellers, a sophomore, backing him up with 535 yards and four touchdowns.
Brayden Herrell, a sophomore, has 293 yards and three touchdowns in the Cougars’ triple-threat offense, which could give the Arabians’ fits tonight.
“It’s really hard for a team to replicate that with a scout-team guy. I don’t care who you are, you’re not going to have a scout-team guy that’s going to be able to replicate it like Lance Mckee out there during the week for you when you’re running scout O against your varsity D,” Nolting said.
“It allows us to keep teams on their toes. It also makes you decide how you’re going to defend us. You’re probably running an uncomfortable defense against us.”
That’s the game plan this week for the Cougars, who won their first sectional game since 2016 last season and intend to do more this October after three consecutive losing campaigns.
“I think our guys are tired of being told that they weren’t very good by other people,” Nolting said. “Our kids are fighters. They’re gritty, tough kids that aren’t going to quit on a game. Even when we’re down, we’re going to keep playing. We have some hard-nosed, blue-collar young men out there that are just eating it up, and it’s made them better, more competitive and hungry. They’re not afraid of anybody.”
