Spread Option Offense

Wofford camp key for Richlands football team

RICHLANDS — There are plenty of football camps Richlands High School could go to that would be closer and cheaper, but it’s a near certainty none would offer the Wildcats what they get in Spartanburg, S.C.

After all, Wofford University and Richlands High School have something in common: A nearly identical offense. Call it what you will — Wofford labels its attack the “wingbone” — it is part spread, part triple option.

And with so many working parts, the more reps the better, and the Wildcats got plenty of reps during the three-day, six-practice camp last week at Wofford.

“Every practice they put in about two plays, and every play that they put in during practice at camp is a play that we run,” Richlands second-year coach Mike Natoli said. “Some of the things we run just a little bit different, but for the most part it’s exactly the same.

“Every rep that our kids get is something we do every single day here. So it’s really specific to what we do.”

Even with that, Natoli wasn’t sure he’d return to the camp this year after going there for more than a half-dozen years, dating back to his days at Newton-Conover. The reason: the bottom line. Natoli said it cost nearly $17,000, including $2,600 for a chartered bus for the six-hour trip to western South Carolina.

“After we went last year, I wasn’t 100 percent sure if we were going to go back again,” he said. “Then during senior night out there we probably had six seniors say their most memorable moment in high school football was going to football camp. So as soon as I heard that I was sold on going back.”

To help pay for the trip, Natoli and Co. did some fund raising and also relied on the parents and community to help foot the bill for 51 players, many of whom were responsible for the Wildcats surprising many by going 8-4 last season.

“That’s just proof how committed these kids and these parents and the community is,” he said. “To spend that kind of money, it’s got to be worth it.”

To Natoli it obviously is.

In his first year at the camp with Richlands in 2010, Natoli said Wofford head coach Mike Ayers ran the Wildcats’ portion of the team camp. This year, offensive coordinator Wade Lang did the job.

Baseball betting – baseball odds – baseball handicapping ...

By Jim Feist

162 games is a long season. Every year teams sprint out of the gate in April and May with October dreams, only to come back to the pack by July. It’s not a sprint, of course, but a marathon, where a strong balance of pitching, defense and offense carries the best teams into the postseason. Injuries, too, are key, as well as trades made before the July deadline. Teams have figured out their strengths and weaknesses now and are beginning to look for pieces to add before the deadline, while others are figuring out whom to dump. Here’s a look at some recent baseball surging and slumping teams.

Indians: Cleveland was projected to be a last place team, then shot out of the gate like Secretariat with a 30-15 start in late May. Then this young team came back to earth, struggling on the road as the offense slipped considerably, which results in their batting coach being fired. Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo has a broken left thumb and will miss two month, as manager Manny Acta has been creative with lineups because of injuries and slumping players. Despite the erratic offense, the pitching staff has been the glue behind their surprising season, ranked 13th in team ERA. The bullpen has been outstanding and the staff allows the third fewest walks in baseball. The under is 15-4-2 in Indians last 21 on grass. All eyes will be on the Cleveland management this month: Spend some bucks to bring in a quality bat or frontline starter? Or become sellers in the market, which would be a huge let down to their fans.

Phillies: The Phillies were expected to be the dominant team after the acquisition of free agent Cliff Lee in the winter. They have been, with the top record in baseball and tops in pitching ERA behind Roy Halladay, Lee and Cole Hamels. However, there are concerns. Starter Roy Oswalt has back problems and has been on and off the DL and the offense hasn’t been as good as expected. After ranking seventh in runs and homers last season, Philadelphia has dipped to the middle of the pack in 2011 in both categories. They had been a dominant road team in recent years, but have been close to .500 away from home this season. There is some age, both with the staff and the offense, something to keep an eye on in the second half of the season. By the way, the under is 11-4 in Lee’s last 15 starts as a favorite.

Brewers: What a fascinating young team. No National League duo has more than the combined 37 homers and 127 RBI than Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. They’re both hitting better than .300 and are leading MVP candidates. The pitching staff might not be as deep as the Phillies, but what an outstanding trio of starters in Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum, the latter two new to the team this season. The Brewers are 15-7 in their last 22 against a team with a winning record, though they took it on the chin in the Bronx last week. Their weakness are poor road play and a below average bullpen, so look for this team to go heavy for any quality relief pitching available this month.

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