No-huddle proficiency: Lancers' up-tempo offense helps wear down Lions
Sep. 18—WALKERSVILLE — In order to play faster and run more plays, Linganore's football team no longer huddles on offense.
Plays are signaled in from the sideline to the entire offense. The Lancers then come to the line of scrimmage and snap the ball.
This requires an enormous amount of coordination and trust to make sure everyone is on the same page, especially since there are two coaches signaling plays from the sideline to help disguise the actual call. Those coaches also rotate in terms of signaling the correct or the dummy play.
"We practice it every day," said sophomore quarterback Christian Petruzzello, who was pressed into his first meaningful varsity action Friday after senior Timmy Conner left the game with a leg injury.
The idea, of course, behind trying to play faster and run more plays is to wear down the opposition, which is exactly what Linganore did in a 25-12 victory over Walkersville.
The win raised the Lancers' record to 3-0 this season. They have outscored the opposition 97-19. Walkersville, on the other hand, fell to 2-1.
Linganore sophomore running back Ethan Arneson got stronger as the game went on, and, by the end of it, was gashing the Walkersville defense with runs right up the middle and over the right side.
"I am feeling good," Arneson said after carrying the ball 32 times for 208 yards and a touchdown.
Arneson said the Lancers were making a point to try and run behind the right side of their offensive line with sophomore right guard Mikey Ayers, senior right tackle Jacob Cannon, who transferred from Tuscarora, and senior center Tyler Willett leading the way.
"He's got some pretty good guys blocking for him," Linganore coach Rick Conner said of Arneson.
During one stretch, over multiple possessions, Arneson strung together runs of 22, 7, 7, 10, 7, 10, 6, 18, 6, 2, 5, 15 and 14 yards.
"After a couple of good runs, the momentum picked up," he said. "It felt good."
The 6-foot-1, 178-pound Petruzzello entered near the end of the first quarter with the score tied at 6, and quickly got the offense moving. His first pass attempt went for 35 yards to senior receiver Jacob McEntire.
Petruzzello had come in during Linganore's first two wins of the season over Kenwood and Westminster, but only in the fourth quarter after the outcome had long been decided.
He said he felt prepared for this opportunity because the coaching staff does a good job of splitting the reps up during practice between him and Conner.
Petruzzello helped put the game out of reach with just over seven minutes remaining. On fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line, he mishandled a shotgun snap from Willett. But he kept his composure, scooped the ball up and fired a touchdown pass to a wide-open McEntire.
"He is a good player," Rick Conner said of Petruzzello.
Prior to exiting with his leg injury, Timmy Conner led a masterful opening drive for Linganore. The Lancers marched 82 yards in 14 plays, with Conner connecting on all three of his pass attempts to senior receiver Zane Bailey.
The drive was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by senior Josh Little.
Walkersville immediately answered with its own 9-play scoring drive, as junior running back Rony Lopez scored on a 2-yard run with 3:43 left in the first quarter for the Lions' only points of the game.
"I am really proud of our kids," Walkersville coach Joe Polce said. "We battled the whole time. We hung in. It was kind of a war of attrition. It's hot, and last week took a lot out us [in a win over Oakdale], and Linganore is a really good team. You have to give them credit. They are a good team."
Follow Greg Swatek on Twitter: @greg_swatek
