By Lee Weber, Head Football Coach, Plainville High School, Plainville, Kan.
OUR TEAM USES three simple variations of the Power I to produce a potent running and option attack.
Essentially, we have three basic sets. The first is called Trio, which is our basic set and combines the Power-I formation with a two-receiver set.
,DIAGRAM 1: Trio Right. The power back (PB) and X align to the call side.
DIAGRAM 2: Trio Tight Right. This is a Power I set with one receiver and a tight end. The PB and Y align to the call side.
,DIAGRAM 3: Trio Heavy Right. This is a short yardage and power set that utilizes the three-back set with two TEs. The PB and Y align to the call side.
32-33 Base (Option)
Within the Trio sets, we have several basic plays. The first is a base play to the fullback. This is essentially a lead play for the FB with the PB leading on the play-side LB.
DIAGRAM 4: Trio Heavy Right 32 Base.The offensive line combo blocks the defensive linemen and the backside LBs depending upon alignment.
The quarterback reverses out and hands off to the FB in a belly action. He carries out an option fake with the tailback.
We also run the option with this action. We just tag the play call with the word “option” and option off the outside support player.
Trio Heavy Right 132 Cross
This is a lead play to the TB using the same scheme with our FB picking up the first off-color jersey through the hole.
We also run a simple play-action pass with the base action.
DIAGRAM 5:Trio Heavy Right 132 Cross. The right OG and center double-team the nose tackle while the PB bursts through the hole that the FB helped create.
In the play-action game, the QB looks for receiver U running a crossing, slant route, while Y takes on the DE, then releases to the sideline.
32-33/44-45 Lead Train
Our second base play was developed after watching several opponents effectively run the wishbone’s double belly. We implemented a similar scheme with our Power I set.
DIAGRAM 6: Trio Heavy Right 32/44 Lead Train. The offensive line and the PB have the same basic assignments as in the base play. The QB reverses out and, depending upon the number call, gives or fakes to the FB diving through the guard-tackle gap (32-33 denotes a give to the FB). The QB then gives or fakes to the TB diving off tackle and, if he has handed off, carries out a fake around the end.
At times, the QB will keep the ball. We just add the word “keep” to the play call. The key to this play is consistency in player action between gives and fakes.
Other Options
From these base Trio sets, you can also run a lead option and a power play in which the FB and PB kick out the end and support player.
We’ve had a lot of success running the base Pro-I plays to the backside of the formation, while sending our PB away from the call. We’ve also utilized 3-step and sprint-out passing plays to give us more options in these sets.
These formations and base plays will work well if you tie them into your offensive philosophy and style.
