In a time where spread offenses are taking over high school football, Frisco High School isn’t using that mold, and they are using the “flexbone” offense, a primarily run offense.
Under head coach Vance Gibson, the Raccoons haven’t always run the flexbone offense. The 2016 season is the first time that Gibson has implemented in the flexbone since he has been the head coach of the Raccoons starting in 2005. The last five seasons they have ran the wing-t offense and have been pretty successful, making the playoffs four of those years and making it to the third round, two of the last three seasons.
“I’ve always liked to be different here (Frisco High) and the wing-t was different and we were successful making those playoff runs,” Coach Gibson said from his office. “We felt that was giving us an advantage, but people keep were starting to catch up, so this year we made a change going to the flexbone.”
If you don’t know what the flexbone is, it is what the service academies (Navy, Army, Air Force) use on offense and Frisco is playing to its strength, the Raccoons have two senior offensive lineman Jake Anderson and Dawson Deaton — who are both committed to Texas Tech University — leading the way up front are just the guys they want in the program.
During practice, the first team offense and defenses never practice against each other because no other team on the Raccoon schedule plays the flexbone, the respective sides of the ball practice against the scout teams is just another aspect of everyone buying into the system.
“It takes a special kind of person to be in our program, especially at the skill positions, they have to buy in and they have to answer the bell everyday and we have decided to go that route,” Gibson said. “People want to win, and this is the way we can win and the kids have seen the results, so they are buying in so we are going to do it even though most people aren’t using this method it works for us right now.”
The Raccoons are averaging over 400 yards on the ground through three games this season with their high water mark being 430 last week in a 45-27 win over Woodrow Wilson. In their second game of the season against Denison, the Raccoons didn’t record a yard through the air and had all 411 yards on the ground in a 34-21 win.
“When we pass the ball out of the flexbone, it’s going to be a big play, last week we completed a 77-yard touchdown so we know when we pass the defense isn’t expecting it, so they have miscommunication and it will work out for us.“ Gibson said.
In Gibson’s time at Frisco, they have only had one skill player go to a division one college, so playing to the strengths of his team is something he is used to. With this being their first year in the flexbone, they have had turnover problems in the first three games 4,2,1 respectively, but as the season goes on the timing and the crispness of the offense will be there.
“I was talking to another coach about our offense and he said if you pass the ball for 300 yards a game you probably aren’t going to win today,” Gibson said. “If you run the ball for 300 yards per game though you have a much better chance of winning.”
