The Marshfield High School football team will be racking up the rushing yards this fall.
Coach: Nate Thomas (Second season)
2015 Record: 3-7 (Lost to Carl Junction in district quarterfinals)
Players to Watch: Chris Crotinger (LB), Kaleb Kracman (DE/TE), Garrett Nunnally (QB/FB), Chance Totten (DE/TE), Brock Utetch (QB), Deryl VanNostrand (TE)
Birds fly, but the Marshfield Blue Jays want the ground game to lead their offensive attack in 2016.
Marshfield will switch from its “pistol spread” system implanted last season – the first under coach Nate Thomas – to a run-first style.
The Jays have a suitable roster for the move: two mobile quarterbacks, an arsenal of capable running backs and quality size at the tight end and offensive line positions.
PHOTOS: MARSHFIELD FOOTBALL PRACTICE
"We have a lot of running backs and I think we're going to be able to utilize a handful of kids that can really run the rock and set up the play action," Thomas said.
Marshfield will likely run some form of Lamar’s trademark double-wing spinner offense. It’s a system based on fakes, counters, motion and deception – and a nightmare for unprepared defenses.
"We’re going to look a lot different than how we've looked in the past," Thomas said. "A lot more run game… some down-hill, getting after it in the run game."
Multiple running backs will see carries, but the split-QB duties will fall on senior Garrett Nunnally and sophomore Brock Utecht.
"They've done a good job this summer of checking some boxes off with what we needed to see from them," Thomas said.
The end positions – offensive and defensive – may be Marshfield’s biggest strength. Chance Totten, formerly a linebacker and center, will play tight end and defensive end. He’s joined by the likes of Deryl VanNostrand and former quarterback Kaleb Kracman, giving Marshfield strong play on the edges.
"We've got some big kids (on the line)," Thomas said. "Caleb is a kid we moved from quarterback to play tight end. He's one of our bigger kids and will do a nice job on the edge at tight end for us."
Defensively, Marshfield welcomes back senior linebacker Chris Crotinger its 4-3 defense. He suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 1 last year, after leading the Jays in tackles as a sophomore.
With a 9-through-12 roster of about 90 players, Thomas said his group has embraced the changes made in the second year of his tenure.
"We've preached all summer that we want to execute with unmatched enthusiasm and effort," Thomas said. "These kids are buying into it. I think these kids are excited about playing football and it shows when you turn on that film."
