I’ll be honest with you.
When I first heard we were moving toward a Double Wing system at the varsity level, I wasn’t exactly jumping out of my chair with excitement.
Actually… I kind of hated it.
I’ve spent a good chunk of my coaching life on the wrong side of that offense. I’ve watched it grind out 4 yards at a time like a slow, painful tax audit. I’ve watched it turn games into bar fights in a phone booth. I’ve watched it make good defenses look helpless simply because it doesn’t care what you’re doing—it’s coming right at you anyway.
So yeah… I wasn’t thrilled. I knew my job, though, as an assistant coach is to support the vision of the Head Coach, so I put my pride aside, and locked in..
But then something happened. We started building it, and the more we built, the more I realized something: We weren’t abandoning who we are. We were evolving it.
At the end of the day, the Double Wing is a means to an end. But our program, our philosophy, our desire to impose our will and move the ball, that was as present as ever.
For as long as I’ve been a JV Head Coach, our program has lived in the Power Spread world. We ran Power. We ran Counter. We lived off Gap schemes, while incorporating Zone while we needed it. The only difference was, back then, we’ve had pocket ready quarterbacks that can sling the ball downfield with the best of them.
But as we approach this upcoming season, that is a key piece we’re going to be missing. Do we have good quarterbacks? Of course! But in a different kind of way.
My two from this past season helped us move the ball incredibly well, but often times, it was their legs that helped us the most. It’s helped us build around this mentality of being able to run the ball really well. So this shift to a double wing JUST MAKES SENSE.
To help with that belief, we’ve adopted a new mentality in this Power Wing. A simple offensive philosophy that will help to guide us as we transition into this new world:
RTAMFF — Run Through a Man’s Friggin’ Face.
(Yes, I know that’s not ACTUALLY what the acronym stands for, but I don’t think the school or community would allow THAT on a T-shirt)
It’s not subtle. It’s not pretty. But it’s honest.
And more importantly—it encompasses what has worked for our JV team in the past.
We had success because we:
So when the conversation started about moving toward a Double Wing structure, the question wasn’t:
“What new concepts are we running?”
The question was:
“How do we take what already works and put it into this new structure?”
Instead of thinking of this as a change, I had to start thinking of it as a translation.
I looked at our Power Spread system and asked:
Then I layered those answers into the Double Wing framework that our Varsity Head Coach was building for the program as a whole.
The result?
The Power Wing Offense.
A system that:
I didn’t scrap the playbook.
I repackaged it.
At the core, we’re going to live in a Double Tight Double Wing formation. Now, before I get crucified, it’s not what you’re probably thinking:
It’s still the kind of stuff I used to hate preparing for, but with our own twist.
Here’s the key:
We’re not going to be just a Double Wing team.
We’re going to use that structure as our foundation, but we’re going to tweak it to fit our players.
At the JV level, we don’t have the luxury of plugging kids into a system and hoping it works. We build the system around the kids.
So while the formation may look traditional, the way we use it won’t be. We’ll adjust splits when needed, move kids around to create matchups, and simplify alignments for understanding. Same structure, different application.
No matter what we do, one thing isn’t changing: Gap-Down-Backer is our DNA.
Power and Counter are still our foundation. We believe in clear blocking rules and physical downhill football. So even as we move into this Double Wing structure, our kids are still hearing the same language:
That consistency is everything.
Because now when we install new formations, new motions, and new looks, the kids aren’t learning new offenses. They’re just applying the same rules in a different picture. That’s how you build confidence. That’s how you build speed.
Now here’s where things got fun. As we started building, we didn’t just stop at Power and Counter. We asked: “If we’re going to live in this world… what else can we do that fits who we are AND our program’s needs?” Our Varsity is installing a juggernaut of an offense, based on the great Double Wing systems that have been and are being run, but with our youth and inexperience, we need to be cognizant of what we can teach and run effectively. So, I took pieces of what’s going to make them dangerous up there, and applied it to our system down here.
We’re introducing Scoop-Read blocking rules to handle our option game.
Instead of overcomplicating things, we’re keeping it simple:
Now we have Midline to attack interior defenders AND Triple Option to stretch the edge. And the beauty? The offensive line isn’t learning a brand new system, they’re just adjusting their rules slightly.
We’re adding Rocket Toss to get the ball outside fast. But again—we didn’t reinvent the wheel.
We’re teaching it as:
It complements everything we do inside. Now defenses have to defend:
All from the same look.
We also adding a Zone Dive concept. Why? Because sometimes you don’t need complexity.
Sometimes you just need to:
Zone Dive gives us a way to stay physical, get vertical push, and simplify the picture for our kids. It’s controlled violence, and it fits RTAMFF perfectly.
If we’re going to run the ball like this, we better have answers when defenses start selling out.
That’s where our play action game comes in.
Off of our bread-and-butter Power, we’re building in a Power Pass. Simple fake toss on the power, into a QB rollout to a deep route and release route.
Same look. Same backfield action.
But now:
Simple. Effective. Deadly.
Off of Rocket Toss, we added a Boot/Waggle concept.
Flow one way, Quarterback comes back the other.
Now we’ve got:
And again—it builds directly off what we already do. No wasted installs. Everything connects.
The Twist: We’re Still a Power Spread Team
Here’s what makes this whole thing unique: We’re not abandoning our Power Spread identity.
We’re keeping it. We’re still going to spread the field at times, run Power and Counter from space, create different looks for defenses.
So now, defenses have to prepare for:
That’s where the stress comes in, because now it’s not just about stopping plays. It’s about adjusting to presentations. AND our rules don’t change.
Now let’s be real. This isn’t varsity. We can’t install everything. We can’t carry 20 plays AND expect execution.
So we took the varsity vision and asked:
“What do our kids NEED?”
Not want. Not what looks cool. What they can actually execute.
So we:
Our install is built around:
That’s it. Because at the JV level, less is more.
Now here’s where I might go against the grain a little. Program-wide, Power might not be the primary focus anymore. But at the JV level? We’re still building around it.
Why?
Because the data doesn’t lie. Last season:
So while we’re evolving the system, we’re not ignoring what worked. We’re doubling down on it.
Because at this level, success breeds belief. And belief builds players.
It’s funny how things come full circle. I started this process not wanting anything to do with the Double Wing.
But while approaching this system, I realized that I might have been a double-wing coach all this time. Series-based thinking, built in answers to what the defense is presenting, running the football efficiently. It’s what I live for.
Now?
I respect the heck out of it. Because I understand it. Because I’ve seen how it:
But more importantly, I’ve seen how we can take its principles and make them our own.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about Double Wing. It’s not about Power Spread.
It’s not about formations or motions or tags.
It’s about building something that:
We didn’t change who we are. We just found a new way to express it. And now, we’ve got a system that lets us do it from anywhere on the field.
Teach it.
Rep it.
Build it.
That’s the JV way.
