That’s what the young coach of the year Art Williams achieved in his brief high school coaching career.He knew one key to winning with high school boys was to keep things simple.
The less things they had to keep up with the better they’d play.
As a result he had their quarterback keep the snap count simple…the ball was always snapped on HUT. It was a simple thing but it gave his kids one less thing to think about.If they ever needed to fool the other team they would just go on the second HUT.If the other team is used to you hiking the ball on HUT 40 times in a row and the 41st time you don’t, they have a high likelihood of jumping offsides.That’s when you can catch them.And you save that little trick for when you need it.By going on HUT it not only simplified things, it gave them a trick play as well. It gave them confidence.
How much did that have to do with the football team’s success?
By itself, probably not a lot.But it represents the thing that did make a difference.It represents a philosophy of realizing who you’re working with.It represents a coach aware that it was up to him to create situations that would allow his young players to succeed.He knew it was his job to set them up for success.That thinking was behind his decisions, his strategy and everything he did.As a result his teams won championships.
