Archive for April, 2009
Russell decides on Heritage’s offensive, defensive systems
New Heritage High School football coach Brint Russell now can turn his attention to his first spring practices with the Mountaineers.
Everything else finally is in place.
Russell and his new staff, which is finalized but has not been announced, have decided on the offensive and defensive systems Heritage will run this year.
On offense, the Mountaineers will work primarily out of a two-back, shotgun set. The defense will be based out of a 3-4 system but will feature the flexibility to switch to 4-3 and 5-2 looks.
The schemes on both sides of the ball satisfy Russell’s desire to have versatile playbooks.
Russell seemed particularly pleased with the offense he plans to begin installing May 4, when Heritage opens two weeks of spring practices that will run through May 15.
“If anything, I could say it’s probably running the ‘I’ from the shotgun,” Russell said of the new offensive system. “It’s that type of an offense. It just gives us a better chance of throwing the football, which we’re wanting to do a little more. It suits what we’ve got real well.”
He described the defense, which was brought in by his yet-to-be-announced defensive coordinator, as a multiple, odd-man-front system.
“It’s going to give us the ability to hop into a 4-3 or a 5-2 or what have you,” Russell said. “We want to be multiple, and a 3-4 gives that opportunity. (The new defensive coordinator) sold me on it, and I like it, so we’re going to implement it.”
Russell said roughly 75 to 80 players have been lifting weights and plan to participate in spring practice with the Mountaineers, which would represent a significant boost in Heritage’s roster size compared to recent years.
“Everything’s going great,” he said. “Lots of kids out, a lot of excitement. We’re just moving right along.”
The offseason conditioning program has been just as encouraging.
“The holdovers from last year are working extremely hard,” Russell said. “Our kids have gotten a lot stronger in the weight room. We’ve got seven, eight kids who can bench-press 300 pounds now. We’re getting strong and getting faster every day, working to get better.”
The Mountaineers will hold spring workouts Monday through Friday for the first two weeks of May. They will play scrimmages against Cumberland County on May 8 and Cocke County on May 15, both at Jack Renfro Stadium.
Russell said athletic director Chip Fuller will announce Heritage’s complete new staff “sometime here in the next couple of weeks.”