Bluefield – If there’s one thing Bluefield offensive coordinator Fritz Simon has learned it’s that you don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole.
That’s part of the reason the Beavers have played for the Class AA title for four straight years and won four titles during his tenure as the OC.
Take his recent offenses for example.
Over the last two years the Beavers ran a vertical passing attack led by now graduated quarterback Carson Deeb along with a speedy stable of playmakers on the outside that featured Brandon Wiley, Juwaun Green and Jacorian Green.
That’s been a stark contrast from the 2017 team that ran for over 4,000 yards out of the I formation en route to a 14-0 championship season.
With Deeb, a non-mobile quarterback, gone, it’s back to the drawing board for Simon. That’s nothing new for him.
“It’s going to be sort of the same we’ve had with Carson,” Simon said. “It’ll be spread with some RPOs throwing the ball and a good running game. We have a good route tree with the receivers we have. We still have good speed out there with kids that can run and catch. But we have another dynamic this year with a quarterback that can run. That’s going to be something we can get into more than we have the last couple of years. Carson was great at staying in the pocket and reading the defense and taking his progressions, but Ryker (Brown) is going to be more of a guy that if stuff breaks down he’ll be able to go off script and make plays. We’re trying to get the guys to understand that the plays aren’t over and we need to work our way back to him.
“We’ll still be multidimensional but we’ll have a more mobile quarterback and a good stable of backs. We don’t have as much depth with our receivers but our starting core is really good.”
Again, Fritz has changed the offense enough during his 17 years as the offensive coordinator to know adaptability is mandatory to sustain a championship-level program.
He can even point to teams and quarterbacks he’s catered to in order to get the most out of the roster. It starts with the 2008 Kennedy Award winner in Will Cole, who threw for 33 touchdowns in ’08 and goes on.
“It’s easier changing things around now,” Simon said. “You have a better idea of what to do. Each year you try to get better at your craft and we feel like we do that as a staff and I do that as an individual. First off you have to get to know your kids before you install a system. What do you have? Do you have a lot of speed but not a lot of size? A lot of size but not a lot of speed? Do you have a quarterback that can move?
“We always want to put a system in place that’s best for Bluefield High School and I feel like we do that year to year. You’ll see us in an unbalanced I formation, guys in the box coming at you or you’ll see us spread out all the way back to Will and Rusty (Coeburn) to when Chandler (Cooper) was at quarterback and Levi Beckett. It just depends on what we have.”
Aiding Simon and Co. as they lean more into the spread is a stable of talented players at the skill positions. It starts with wide receiver Jacorian Green, the reigning Class AA 200-meter champion.
“Jacorian Green is a big one for us,” Simon said. “He’s a threat anytime he catches the ball as the 200-meter champ. He’s going to be a three-year starter so we’re looking for things out of him. We’ve got a kid that’s played in the slot some and is taking the place of Brandon Wiley in Jaeon Flack. He’s shown he’s versatile running and catching the ball. Gage Sisk steps in and he’s been very patient with the depth we have. He knows the routes, he knows everything we’re asking and he’s a good kid with good speed and good hands. Chance Johnson’s the same. He’s waited patiently, he’s worked and he’s gotten better.
“A couple of weeks ago we beat Martinsburg in 7-on-7s so we were very pleased with how we acted there and performed. In the back field we have Amir (Hairston), Ryker and another kid named Jamel Floyd who is going to be an incoming freshman. Those three will be able to produce inside the tackles we think.”
The Beavers will put their new offense to the test on Aug. 27 when they open the season against Graham, Va.
Contact Tyler Jackson at tylerjackson@lootpress.com, call him at 304-731-5542 and follow on Twitter @tjack94