Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010

Spread too thin

There are more spread offenses running around in football these days than there are Silly Bandz in a middle school hallway.

You've got to love a good fad.

But unlike thin, unicorn-shaped wristlets, the spread actually serves a purpose.

Well, to some at least.

You don't have to look any further than Athens Drive or Middle Creek to see two excellent examples of a spread offense when it's working.

But the spread isn't for everyone.

And just because you run it, that doesn't mean you'll rack up the points. Southeast Raleigh may have learned the hard way.

The Bulldogs average more than 300 pounds per offensive lineman.

The heftiest Holly Springs defender weighed about 250.

Yet instead of lining up and trying to play smash-mouth football against the smaller Golden Hawks, Southeast ran the spread.

They tried throwing deep.

They tried draw plays.

They tried running the ball to the outside.

Everything except trying to run straight at Holly Springs.

And that played right into the hands of the smaller, quicker Hawks, who got the 28-27 upset.

On other side of Raleigh, Garner - which returned more than 4,000 yards of rushing - was busy doing the same spread offense meant to do everything but line it up and run right at Millbrook.

The Trojans were shut out 3-0 in a snoozefest.

I'm not sure if Silly Bandz have reached the pinnacle of their popularity. But the spread offense may have maxed itself out.

A number of coaches told me going into this year: "We see so much spread, it actually throws us off when we play a team like Holly Springs or Fuquay-Varina."

By the way, those two teams each run option offenses that have been around as long as there's been a pigskin and are more retro than the Cabbage Patch Kids and Tickle Me Elmo.

They also tied for second in the conference last year.

And did I mention both won on Friday night?

Green Hope actually switched to the antiquated triple-option offense this year.

You know, the same kind that helped Georgia Tech win the ACC Championship last year?

The Falcons have gone more retro, and it's paid off already.

Green Hope played close with Wakefield in a 20-6 loss on Friday.

That might not sound like much, but it was one of the closest games the Falcons have had in three years.

I know the spread will keep spreading so long as there are teams willing to join the crowd even as the fad hits its downward slope of popularity.

But if you're just getting a spread to be like the rest, don't assume that will make you as successful as the rest.

That's more foolish than wearing rubber bands for the heck of it.

Chargers win division: The Cary Academy girls tennis team won the west division in the 2010 FTA Tennis Tournament in Florence, S.C., held Aug. 20-22.

After a loss in the first round, Cary Academy bounced back to win the next three matches and finish as the west division champions of the tournament with an overall record of 3-1.