‘We needed to do something different’: Why Enochs abandoned the Spread offense

After sinking into the bottom tier of the Modesto Metro Conference with four consecutive losing seasons, Enochs High football coach James Stacy knew it was time for a change.

Offensively, the Eagles were too small to execute the Spread, a system that has taken the football world by craze, lighting up scoreboards at every level. Enochs’ linemen couldn’t stay on their blocks, and the pressure washed over the quarterbacks.

The Eagles averaged 20.2 points in 2016 and were shut out by Manteca and Central Valley. In fact, Enochs faced three large-school league champions – Manteca (Valley Oak League), Central Valley (Western Athletic Conference) and Downey – and mustered just seven points, signaling its place on the Stanislaus District pecking order.

“We don’t get big linemen here at Enochs. Not nearly enough to sit back and have a Spread offense,” said Stacy, whose program is 9-30-1 with no playoff appearances in the last four years.

“We’ve tried different things with different offensive coordinators, but to me, the Wing-T is better suited for the students we have. We have quick backs who can hit the holes. Our linemen, to me, seem fairly quick. If we can get out and get on somebody for a couple of seconds, we can slip a back through there.”

There is hope the Eagles have found an offense that suits their personnel, beginning with the man behind the whistle.

Stacy ran the wing-T as an assistant coach at Johansen from 1993-2006, and he lured an old friend out of retirement to handle the installation. Former Beyer High coach and Johansen assistant Bill Flesher is the new offensive coordinator.

“The last two to three years, looking at what we have and what we were trying to do, I felt we weren’t quite set up for (the Spread),” Stacy said. “We needed to change into something that was better suited for our kids, whether it was the Triple Option or the Wing-T. We just needed to do something different.

“With Bill willing to come back over, and with him being so strong with the Wing-T, it seemed like the natural offense to pick up.”

It helps having a quarterback well-versed in the Wing-T. Senior Austin England returns to Enochs after one year at Oakdale. He has been cleared by the CIF and will start Friday’s season-opener at Escalon High, one of the area’s premier Wing-T program.

England started the Mustangs’ season opener at Sonora last fall, but was replaced by Mark Dickson following a 27-13 loss to the Wildcats.

Oakdale responded with Dickson under center. The Mustangs won 14 of their next 15 games, earning Valley Oak League, Sac-Joaquin Section Division III and CIF Division III-A State Bowl titles.

Oakdale’s success proves the run-centric offense is still viable in a pass-happy era. The Mustangs have produced seven 1,000-yard rushers in the last three seasons, including Will Semone, the district’s all-time single-season rushing leader with 2,851 yards.

England’s experience at Oakdale has helped shape the Eagles’ version of the Wing-T. He and the coaching staff often compare notes, Stacy said.

“His progress has been very good,” Stacy said. “We do ask him about when he was there at Oakdale and how they ran the Wing-T to see what the differences are.”

England has plenty of options in the run game. All-Modesto Metro Conference wide receiver Chris Butterfield shifts to running back. There, he’s joined by fullback Jacob Kenoyer, Xavier Vera, and Spencer Alanis.

Butterfield was second on the team in total yards last season, averaging 101 yards per game. He was the team’s top receiver with 532 yards and a part-time quarterback.

Kenoyer was an all-conference honorable mention.

Vera started at quarterback for the Eagles’ sophomore team last fall.

“We have some depth,” Stacy said.

Enochs faces the ultimate litmus test in Escalon. The Cougars are coached by Mark Loureiro, a national voice for the Wing-T and the section’s all-time winningest coach.

The two teams engaged in a shootout last season. The Cougars won 47-31.

“Escalon is one of the area’s premier Wing-T teams in the area,” Stacy said. “It will give our guys a look at what the Wing-T is and hopefully, we match up well with them. Hopefully, we can give them a good game out there.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 9:14 PM with the headline "‘We needed to do something different’: Why Enochs abandoned the Spread offense."