SCHUYLERVILLE —In a rush of
orange helmets, a path suddenly clears like autumn
leaves in a breeze.
| The blockers
have done their job, and running like the
wind through the yards-wide alley in the
defense is Austin Bateman, sparkplug of the
undefeated Schuylerville Black Horses.
On another series, the
left-handed Bateman rolls out and launches a
long pass downfield. On another, he hands
off to one of his backs, who finds a lane
and darts off in another direction. It's a
dizzying variety of plays.
"We're just trying to
put the ball in the players' hands, put them
in good spots and let them make plays,"
Schuylerville head coach Greg O'Connor said. |
|
T.J. HOOKER - thooker@poststar.com
Schuylerville captain Shane Larkin rushes
into the
end zone on the heals of teammates Josh
Stone
and Sean Gillen during their home game
against
the Hoosick Falls Panthers on Friday, Sept.
12, 2008. |
And in the Black Horses'
spread-option offense, playmakers are seemingly
everywhere, from the shifty Bateman, to the speedy
Brad Lyon, the even faster Steve Backus and the
punishing Shane Larkin.
It seems a pity the Horses can use
only one football.
Heading into Friday's Class C
North showdown with Cambridge -- set for 7 p.m. at
Schuylerville -- the Horses are 5-0 in the division,
6-0 overall, and have outscored their opponents
240-43 this season. The Horses rolled to a 64-8 win
at Stillwater on Saturday.
The spread offense is not
necessarily about how an offense lines up, but what
it can do in the spaces left in the defense on the
other side of the ball. It's an offense uniquely
suited to the mobile Bateman, a junior in his third
year as Schuylerville's starting quarterback.
"It's working
beautifully," said Bateman, who has rushed for
696 yards and scored 12 touchdowns this season.
"It's all misdirection, the defense not knowing
where you're going. It gets easier and easier (to
run the offense) every year."
"He's a great athlete, he's
made great strides in the last year," O'Connor
said. "He knows where everybody is going, he
knows all the routes, everything you would expect
from a third-year starter."
O'Connor had plenty to say about
his skill players. Lyon and Larkin have combined to
rush for 829 yards and 12 touchdowns. Backus and
Lyon can stretch defenses as receivers.
On Lyon: "He's one of the
better athletes in the school. He's fast, he's
strong for his frame and he loves to compete."
On Larkin: "He's a beast.
He's a load for (teams) to handle, and he's so quick
off the ball."
On Backus: "He's probably the
fastest on the team. We get him the ball in some
space, he'll create some problems for
defenses."
They also have a solid,
quick-footed line that can clear space, which had
only one returning starter from last season, Greg
Peterson. Over the course of the season, the line
has made the most progress.
"We understand defenses more;
our whole offense reads defenses better,"
Peterson said. "That helps us know where to go
and get our blocks and tandems down."
"Our line is making such big
holes, me and Shane wouldn't need talent to run
through them," Lyon said.
Somewhat overlooked is the Black
Horses' aggressive defense, which went almost a full
12 quarters before allowing any points this season.
Many of the offensive starters double up on defense,
but the Horses have plenty of depth this season.
"I love our defense,"
Peterson said. "We switched to a 3-5 this year;
our defensive line is real strong, especially with
the support of the linebackers. Looking at the film,
our defense is a lot quicker than last year. Our
defense gets a lot more people to the ball,
faster."
"One of the nicest things
about our team is our (scout) defense is as good as
our first-team defense," Lyon said. "That
gives us a good look -- as good a look as in a game.
We don't want any surprises on game day."
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