CANYON HIGH'S NEW OFFENSE NOT A PASSING FANCY : COWBOYS TO AIR IT OUT IN '96.Byline: Bryan Winchell Special to the Daily News Canyon High School Canyon High School can refer to:
Though the Cowboys lost to Downey in the first round of the playoffs, the team finished a respectable 5-5 against one of the toughest schedules in the area. There is one thing Mohr would have done differently. For three games the team ran the West Coast offense, popularized by the San Francisco 49ers Steve Lombardi (born April 18 1961 in Brooklyn, New York) is a professional wrestler, of Italian origins, and road agent, more commonly known by his , the team was forced to run. ``We had a lot of success at first and we felt like we could run on every down,'' Mohr said. ``But teams started to figure us out. In hindsight, I think we should have stayed with (the West Coast offense) a little longer.'' The nice thing about coaching, though, is that every year provides the chance to do some things you wanted to do the year before. And with the return of seven players on offense, including a big, experienced offensive line and five skill-position players with experience, this season seems the perfect chance for Mohr to try the pass-oriented offense again. ``We're a little more athletic this year,'' Mohr said. ``And bigger.'' And so Mohr will put the West Coast offense to the test again. ``Last year we ran 70-30 or maybe 80-20 percent run plays to pass plays,'' Mohr said. ``We want to go 60-40 this year. I'm a firm believer in a running attack, but we also want to keep people off our backs off our backs (sometimes referred to by its initials, oob) is a radical feminist periodical published in Washington, D.C.. It has been published continuously since it was founded in February 1970, making it the longest-running feminist periodical currently , so we'll throw when they don't expect us to.'' Three of those players who are key to the success of the offense are quarterback Rick Thomas ST1TCH (born Rick Thomas) is American sampler for Mushroomhead and Ventana. It has been stated that Thomas was originally called "Stick", due to the fact that he is skinny, but someone mistakenly called him Stitch and the name stuck. , tight end Brian Gelt and wide receiver Lombardi, all seniors. Thomas played three games at the end of last season and was impressive in spring and summer practices, Mohr said. ``We feel the way Rick throws the ball, we can throw on any down,'' Mohr said. An able scrambler A device or software program that encrypts data for security purposes. See scramble. who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, Thomas understands the importance of a balanced attack. ``I think the new offense will help out a lot to open up the run,'' Thomas said. ``Which is always good with the backs we have.'' While Thomas will throw short passes to those backs, Jeff McKinley and Monty McKeon, he needs to get the ball to Gelt and Lombardi. Gelt, who is a big target at 6 feet 3 inches, 205 pounds, and has good hands, only caught one pass last year because the injury-depleted offensive line needed him at tackle. But this season Mohr wants him to be ``the focus of our offense.'' Gelt will run medium-length pass patterns and an occasional long route. Mohr stresses that one of the main reasons the 49ers had success with the offense was the ability of their receivers to gain yardage yard·age 1 n. 1. An amount or length measured in yards. 2. Cloth sold by the yard. Noun 1. after the catch. ``We've been practicing running and tucking the ball away,'' Gelt said. ``It's important to get yards on the run, especially for the shorter routes.'' For Lombardi, who is 6-0, 185 pounds, off-season workouts have added speed to his game, as he ran the 40 in 4.69 at the UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX Reebok Ree´bok` n. 1. (Zool.) The peele. summer workout. This season has been a long time coming for Lombardi, who missed all last season after rupturing his spleen spleen, soft, purplish-red organ that lies under the diaphragm on the left side of the abdominal cavity. The spleen acts as a filter against foreign organisms that infect the bloodstream, and also filters out old red blood cells from the bloodstream and decomposes in a game at the end of hell week. To him, the West Coast offense highlights his oft-forgotten wide receiver role. He'll run every kind of pass pattern, with many ranging in the 12- to 15-yard range. ``We figure if we can get over eight to nine yards a play, the defense can't stop us,'' Lombardi said. Mohr, Lombardi, Thomas and Gelt all feel this year's team is one of Canyon's best in recent years. While some of that is because of talent, they feel that this team's dedication and the implementation of the new offense will result in a successful season. ``We've all played together for a while,'' Lombardi said. ``So we know how to play well as a team.'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1) Senior quarterback Rick Thomas has been impre ssive in practices. (2) Tight end Brian Gelt is expected to be Thomas' primary target. (3) Receiver Steve Lombardi has recovered from a ruptured spleen. John Lazar/Special to the Daily News |
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