Burkburnett, Sweetwater find success with traditional wishbone

[Phantom Stang]

Burkburnett, Sweetwater find success with traditional wishbone

By Zach Duncan
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Back when Burkburnett coach Bill Dalke played football at Oklahoma, there was no such concept of the spread offense.

The wishbone dominated the Texas landscape. Instead of airing the ball out, teams lined up in tight formations with "three yards and a cloud of dust" in mind.

Those glory days are over. The majority of high school football squads — from the deepest, most talent-rich Class 5A programs to the smallest of Class A schools — look to the spread for instant offense.

Varieties of the precision attack, which is based off short timing passes and the running lanes that open because of stretched defenses, can now be seen in most stadiums on Friday nights.

But football followers who make it out to Memorial Stadium on Thursday for the Times Record News Kickoff Classic won’t be privy to that type of ball movement.

Burkburnett and Sweetwater run traditional wishbones offenses. It may be a dying breed, but it’s a formula that still produces success.

"Honestly, I think there’s a real benefit to it," Dalke said. "The spread is a sexy offense; everybody runs it and everybody defends it.

"But nobody sees (the wishbone) anymore, nor do they work on it. Back in the old days, a portion of every practice was spent defending the option. Now when teams play us, they learn how to defend in it 3-4 days."

It’s hard to deny Dalke’s claims of wishbone triumph. The Bulldogs switched to the offense in 2006 and won seven games that season. Last year produced an 8-4 record and the school’s first playoff appearance since 2001.

Quarterback Jason Beach and halfback Jay Gould return as half the Burkburnett backfield that averaged 261 yards on the ground in 2007.

Sweetwater enters the season with eight straight postseason appearances, most of which have come under former Olney coach Kent Jackson. The Mustangs averaged 259.5 rushing yards last year, earning a win over Bridgeport in bi-district. Vernon eliminated Sweetwater in the Area round.

Dalke said he made the change two years ago because running the wishbone works best for the Bulldogs’ personnel.

"In the spread, you need a constant supply of speed and skill, and we don’t always have that year in and year out," Dalke said. "What we have is enough tough linemen and some speed and skill."

There’s at least one downside to running what could be called an old-fashioned offense. Lining up non-district foes can be tough.

"It’s a reason why some teams wouldn’t play us," Dalke said. "Their kids aren’t used to seeing it."

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2008/aug/26/wishbone/

[Sweetwater Red]

I found this one earlier. Just didn't have time to post it.

Burkburnett, Sweetwater set to square off in TRN Kickoff Classic
By Zach Duncan
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Sweetwater’s last trip to Memorial Stadium wasn’t very memorable, as Wichita Falls High School handed down a 40-19 whipping in the 2007 season opener.

But Mustangs coach Kent Jackson holds no ill will returning to the scene of that defeat.

“That was something we needed at the time,” Jackson said. “It was a great deal for us. It was a tough lesson to take, but it was something we needed early.”


Both coaches in the Times Record News Kickoff Classic agree that tonight’s Sweetwater-Burkburnett showdown should benefit each party, providing an early-season measuring stick. Kickoff is at 7:30.

“It’s a great matchup, and it ought to be a fun game,” Burkburnett coach Bill Dalke said. “It’s a good way to find out where you’re at at that point of the season.”

While Sweetwater lost last year’s season opener, Burkburnett emerged with an overtime victory at Decatur. That set the tone for an 8-4 season that ended with a loss to Abilene Wylie in the Area round.

“It’s always nice to get off to a good start, and it’s something to build on,” Dalke said. “But you have to be careful as a coach not to put so much emphasis on that first game.”

Dalke said his team has made “huge progress” during the past few weeks of practice. The Bulldogs have plenty of speed and depth in the backfield, including quarterback Jason Beach and halfbacks Jay Gould, James Lorenzo and Ronnie Hall.

But Dalke added that he has been encouraged by Beach’s progress in the passing game.

Jackson said he’s comfortable with his defense, which returns seven starters from last season. Defensive end Keifer Adamez (10 sacks) was an all-district selections, while Steven Fields and Rufus McCann are standout linebackers.

The Mustangs’ offense is a little more unproven. Their top three leading rushers graduated, so halfbacks Steven Fields and Daniel Jackson step into new roles. Zach Birdwell filled in for an injured starter a couple games at quarterback early last season, including the loss to WFHS.

“Offensively, we’ve got a lot of holes to fill,” Jackson said. “We’re inexperienced, and there’s no substitute for that.”

Center Josh Ross will be leaned on for his experience, and his matchup with Burkburnett nose guard Lorenzo Barnes should be one to keep an eye on tonight.

Other Bulldogs who have looked good in the preseason are linebackers Malachi Naef and Derek Dowling and linemen Stetson Copus and Tommy Dalke.

The opener for Sweetwater is the start of a non-district stretch that includes Seminole, Monahans, Clyde and Big Spring, all playoff teams from 2007. Jackson scheduled the robust competition to prepare for District 2-3A, regarded as the toughest Class 3A grouping in the state.

“We need to play people like Burkburnett because they’re going to challenge us,” Jackson said. “You can tell they take a lot of pride in what they do.”


http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2008/aug/27/BurkburnettSweetwater/