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11-28-2013, 10:11 AM
After his team's season-opening loss to Simon Kenton, Collins High School football coach Jerry Lucas decided it was time for a philosophical change in his program.
Instead of using his best athletes on both sides of the ball, Lucas switched to a platoon system with 11 starters on offense and 11 different ones on defense.
Though some of the best players still see occasional duty on both sides, Lucas believes the platoon system has helped the Titans remain fresh and develop depth in their run to the Class 4-A state semifinals.
"It was hard because we have a lot of kids who have been two-way starters for two or three years," he said. "But once we made the move, it's really paid off for us. ... We want to play at a fast pace, and with these kids just playing one way we've been able to play faster."
The Titans (11-2), No. 10 in The Courier-Journal's Litkenhous Ratings, will put their fast play on display Friday when they travel to Owensboro (10-3) for a 4 p.m. EST kickoff. The winner advances to the 4-A championship game Dec. 7 in Bowling Green.
Collins lost to Highlands 47-0 in last year's state final. Highlands, winner of six straight championships, long has been renowned for its platoon system, and Lucas knew his team needed to change if it wanted to close the gap on the Bluebirds.
"Ultimately, (a platoon) helps you build your program," he said. "Frankly, it helps you get more kids in your program when more kids play. We have about 50 kids in our program right now, and we really need to have 80 to 100."
Lucas said Collins' top playmakers on offense -- seniors DeAndre Farris, Lawson Page and Nathan Sames -- still play defense but not nearly as much as they did last season. Top linebacker Masai Whyte sees spot duty at running back.
Lucas said the platoon system has been a factor mostly on the offensive line, where sophomores Kolton Alvey, Trei Axline and Kyle Goss have been allowed to develop alongside seniors Michael Jones and Kris Jones.
"The nice thing is that we've been allowed to rest them a ton because now we have a lot of kids rotating," Lucas said. "That's going to be nice for our future."
Collins will put the new system to the test against an Owensboro team whose three losses have come to Class 6-A Henderson County and 5-A Bowling Green and Warren Central. Lucas said his defense will be challenged by the Red Devils' triple option.
"With the option, you have to stop the dive, the quarterback and the pitch; it's been that way forever," Lucas said. "But what they do is mix up their blocking schemes so you can't just have one guy responsible. They really force the issue by running different schemes up front."
T.J. James has rushed for a team-high 663 yards and eight touchdowns and is one of six Red Devils who have totaled at least 200 rushing yards this season. Quarterback Nick Locher has passed for 986 yards and 17 TDs and rushed for 473 yards and 14 TDs.
"We've been called 'The Pony Express' because we have a lot of horses to give the ball to," Owensboro coach Joe Prince said. "We've had that luxury to be able to spread it around."
Prince said his team shouldn't have problems matching Collins' speed.
"We have speed, too, but we're not as tall as they are," he said. "I feel like the Wizard of Oz with all of these munchkins around me. All of our backs are 5-5 or 5-7, but they can scoot."
http://lms.usatodayhss.com/louisville/ar...oon-system
Instead of using his best athletes on both sides of the ball, Lucas switched to a platoon system with 11 starters on offense and 11 different ones on defense.
Though some of the best players still see occasional duty on both sides, Lucas believes the platoon system has helped the Titans remain fresh and develop depth in their run to the Class 4-A state semifinals.
"It was hard because we have a lot of kids who have been two-way starters for two or three years," he said. "But once we made the move, it's really paid off for us. ... We want to play at a fast pace, and with these kids just playing one way we've been able to play faster."
The Titans (11-2), No. 10 in The Courier-Journal's Litkenhous Ratings, will put their fast play on display Friday when they travel to Owensboro (10-3) for a 4 p.m. EST kickoff. The winner advances to the 4-A championship game Dec. 7 in Bowling Green.
Collins lost to Highlands 47-0 in last year's state final. Highlands, winner of six straight championships, long has been renowned for its platoon system, and Lucas knew his team needed to change if it wanted to close the gap on the Bluebirds.
"Ultimately, (a platoon) helps you build your program," he said. "Frankly, it helps you get more kids in your program when more kids play. We have about 50 kids in our program right now, and we really need to have 80 to 100."
Lucas said Collins' top playmakers on offense -- seniors DeAndre Farris, Lawson Page and Nathan Sames -- still play defense but not nearly as much as they did last season. Top linebacker Masai Whyte sees spot duty at running back.
Lucas said the platoon system has been a factor mostly on the offensive line, where sophomores Kolton Alvey, Trei Axline and Kyle Goss have been allowed to develop alongside seniors Michael Jones and Kris Jones.
"The nice thing is that we've been allowed to rest them a ton because now we have a lot of kids rotating," Lucas said. "That's going to be nice for our future."
Collins will put the new system to the test against an Owensboro team whose three losses have come to Class 6-A Henderson County and 5-A Bowling Green and Warren Central. Lucas said his defense will be challenged by the Red Devils' triple option.
"With the option, you have to stop the dive, the quarterback and the pitch; it's been that way forever," Lucas said. "But what they do is mix up their blocking schemes so you can't just have one guy responsible. They really force the issue by running different schemes up front."
T.J. James has rushed for a team-high 663 yards and eight touchdowns and is one of six Red Devils who have totaled at least 200 rushing yards this season. Quarterback Nick Locher has passed for 986 yards and 17 TDs and rushed for 473 yards and 14 TDs.
"We've been called 'The Pony Express' because we have a lot of horses to give the ball to," Owensboro coach Joe Prince said. "We've had that luxury to be able to spread it around."
Prince said his team shouldn't have problems matching Collins' speed.
"We have speed, too, but we're not as tall as they are," he said. "I feel like the Wizard of Oz with all of these munchkins around me. All of our backs are 5-5 or 5-7, but they can scoot."
http://lms.usatodayhss.com/louisville/ar...oon-system
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11-28-2013, 12:34 PM
Good read. Its amazing the different approaches and styles that work...they all work.
Im a fan of the two platoon system if it suits your style and for Collins it does.
On the other hand, you have somebody like 6A Meade County who has great numbers, but thwy are starting up to 10 kids both ways. Granted, they are a Wing-T/Wishbone team which tries to slow the game down, thus allowing their kids to get a litrle more rest than these uptempo teams.
Im a fan of the two platoon system if it suits your style and for Collins it does.
On the other hand, you have somebody like 6A Meade County who has great numbers, but thwy are starting up to 10 kids both ways. Granted, they are a Wing-T/Wishbone team which tries to slow the game down, thus allowing their kids to get a litrle more rest than these uptempo teams.
11-28-2013, 04:15 PM
Fly Like a Duck Wrote:Good read. Its amazing the different approaches and styles that work...they all work.
Im a fan of the two platoon system if it suits your style and for Collins it does.
On the other hand, you have somebody like 6A Meade County who has great numbers, but thwy are starting up to 10 kids both ways. Granted, they are a Wing-T/Wishbone team which tries to slow the game down, thus allowing their kids to get a litrle more rest than these uptempo teams.
Whatever Meade County does it works for them because they are tough every year.
I'm very glad that Coach Lucas decided to transition to a platoon system at Collins because they definitely have the athletes to do it. I think that it is one of the reasons Collins has improved so much from last year and even the beginning of this year, because they have more time to focus on one position and don't tire as easily. It should really help build the program in the long run, as it allows new players to learn their positions more quickly. The platoon system is one of the reasons that Highlands has such a good team. They don't have tons of elite talent, but they have players that get really good at one position. I believe that any school that can platoon should, because it will help your program.
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