Alex Coil  is a Cronkite School  of  Journalism student assigned to cover  Gilbert  Christian for AZPreps366

In an era obsessed with passing the football, at a school known for passing, running is back in style.

 

The double wing formation is one that is widely considered to be old school, three yards and a cloud of dust as Gilbert Christian head coach Danny Norris put it.

 

Norris and his coaching staff came into the 2019 season with confidence but caution that it would have immediate success with this new style.

 

“Shockingly, they have adapted pretty well,” Norris said. “They didn’t see a lot of success last year through the air. In years past, they’ve been a dominant passing team. I think with the new philosophy coming in and the new coaching staff coming in, we built the relationships with (the players) first, then we got them to buy in to what we are doing. They can’t buy into a system if they can’t buy into a coach.”

 

Offensive line coach Andy Montano shared the same sentiment.

 

“I think everything comes down to a matter of trust in the coaches, in both the coaches and the coaching philosophy,” Montano said. “I believe that when coach Norris came in, he came in with such passion and such belief in the system, that the athletes were able to buy into it.”

 

How does the team view the new offensive style which has a run-pass ratio of 29-1 in 2-2 start? Put yourself in the shoes of a quarterback.

 

“I am used to throwing the ball more in a spread offense,” senior quarterback Tyson Heyn said. “This year we are running double wing, throwing once a game, if that. Whatever gets the job done and helps us win, that is important. Stats couldn’t mean less.”

 

The double wing is an offense in which anyone, even the quarterback, is a blocker on any given play. Heyn said he prepares more as a blocker than a passer before games.

 

“Since I am in double wing, I’ll look at mainly what their defensive ends and other lineman do to see how I can block them and then go from there,” Heyn said.

 

The ground and pound style of offense isn’t designed to gain yards in bulk. Norris said the slow, methodical philosophy can score on demand.

 

“I’m a firm believer in four times three is 12 and that’s a first down every time,” Norris said. “For us, we have done a really good job upfront with the offensive line of creating good solid lanes to run through, and we have such good athletes when they have the ball in their hands, they hit those small creases and they go. It’s a clock control offense, but at the same time, if it needs to score early and often, it can.”

 

The team remains hungry as it prepares for a playoff push.

 

“We warm up on the one-yard line because there is always one more yard to go,” Montano said. “A phrase that I bring up to my offensive line is, we always have one yard to go. We think we always have one game to go.”