Year two of Columbia High's "Operation Wing-T" should yield improved results in terms of yardage gained and points scored.
At least, that's what second-year Bruins Coach Scott Ross is hoping.
Ross envisions a ball-control offense that holds onto the football for extended periods of time and grinds down opposing defenses' resistance to the breaking point.
That would be the reverse of what most teams did to CHS last season, when the Bruins finished 2-4 (fifth) in the Trico Division and 3-7 overall.
This season, Ross wants to see his offensive unit on the field more minutes than his defensive unit.
"We had a hard time putting together and sustaining drives last year," he noted.
As a consequence, CHS put a lot of pressure on an overworked defense to keep it in games.
"The biggest problem with that was that we had so many guys playing both ways because of our lack of depth," Ross said. "They'd get so worn out playing defense that they weren't very effective once we got the ball back."
Columbia High tallied 116 points (with a high of 38 in a victory over Ilwaco) last season and allowed 248 (with a high of 55 in a blowout loss to Woodland). It was shut out twice and scored just one touchdown four times.
Ross thinks running the wing-T--a run-oriented offense--will allow CHS to be a more productive and more competitive offensive team.
"The coaching staff believes this offense fits our personnel better (than the split-back veer option attack CHS used most of 2003)," he said. "And, with a little tweaking here and there every year, it's something we should be able to stick with."
One of the tweaks Ross and his assistants made for this season was moving two-year starting quarterback Jon Bryan, now a senior, to fullback.
"It's going to be fun to watch Jon run out of that position," Ross said. "Jon showed us last year at Montesano that he's a good, physical runner and that's something we want to try and capitalize on this year."
Bryan, who rushed for a career-high 140 yards in the 2003 finale against Montesano, will share ball-carrying duties with junior halfback Andrew Culp and senior wingback Will Brasuell.
Culp led the team in rushing last season with 528 yards. He ran for more than 100 yards twice, including a personal-best 220 versus Ilwaco--a performance that included touchdown runs of 75, 64 and 38 yards.
"Andrew has a ton of potential to go with all the moves," Ross noted. "With Jon running inside and Andrew going outside, we've got two very dangerous runners."
Taking over for Bryan under center will be junior Mike Charters. Bryan will be the back-up.
"The offense we're running isn't quarterback-dependent, but I think Mike, because he's such a hard worker, is going to be up to the challenge of starting at quarterback for us," Ross remarked.
The other skill positions--split end and tight end--will be manned by sophomore Mason Giovannoni and senior Josabet Pulido, who returns after sitting out the 2003 season.
Seniors Alex Riley, Keith Ingram and Levi Miller will be the primary back-ups at the skill positions.
Columbia's offensive line is still a work-in-progress, according to Ross, although it's certain junior Scott Lampe will start at strong-side tackle again, and senior Daniel Hankin will be the center.
But the other three positions are less settled, with seniors Luke Vermeire and Sean Cruse competing against junior Justin Collins and sophomore Don Warner for playing time at guard.
At weak-side tackle, the battle is between sophomore Jose Viramontes and senior Mitch Wheelhouse, a first-year player from Glenwood.
"Competition is good," Ross said. "We have kids pushing each other every day in practice, making each other work harder to get better. That's what we like to see."
Competition also has been keen for defensive positions, with 19 players vying for 11 starting spots.
Nose tackle candidates include Hankin, Wheelhouse, classmate Matthew Kuneki, Collins and junior letterman Josh Burrell.
Defensive end prospects are Lampe, Riley, Vermeire and Viramontes, while six players are competing for openings at linebacker. The group consists of Bryan, Pulido, Miller, Cruse, junior Matt Cooley and sophomore Stephen Lundh.
In the defensive backfield, the players in the mix are Culp, Brasuell, Giovannoni, Pulido and junior Nolan Kenoyer.
"Defensively, we weren't too bad last year," Ross said. "And, with our team speed and the strength gains we made in the weight room over the summer, we have the chance to be pretty good again."
And CHS will have to be in order to contend with the strong offenses that pre-season Trico Division favorites La Center and Woodland, and defending champion Ridgefield are certain to field.
"I read somewhere that this is supposed to be one of the toughest Trico League's in history," Ross reflected. "But our league is always tough. There are some very talented athletes in this league, and the players and coaches overall just keep getting better."
The Bruins will play three non-league games--at Goldendale and Naches, then at home versus Montesano--before they host Castle Rock in their Trico Division opener.
By then, Ross said, the coaching staff plans to have CHS's offensive and defensive packages firmly in place.
"Our goal as a coaching staff is to put our players in a position to compete every week, at both the varsity and the jayvee levels," the head Bruins said. "As a group, our players have a quiet determination about them that they can compete. They're much more focused than in years' past."
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