Streaks blank Ephrata
- 05 September 2009
Little-known fact: The Wildcat offense really isn't the Wildcat offense.The trendy attack, which finds a running back lining up in the shotgun, taking a direct snap and doing, well, whatever, originated at the University of Arkansas. Which is why Manheim Township coach Mike Melnyk gives a nod to its roots by calling it the Razorback offense.
Nice touch. Especially since Melnyk, a Michigan man, could have called it the Wolverine or something. But no.
"It came from Arkansas," he said. "I don't know where 'Wildcat' came from. We wanted to honor Arkansas for putting it in."
The Razorback was the Streaks' base offense last year. And in Friday night's season opener at Ephrata, they used it occasionally and effectively in a 14-0 victory over the Mounts, notably early in the second half, when both teams were rooting around, scrambling for points.
Junior running back Brady Souders ran five yards out of the Razorback for the game's first touchdown with 9:33 left in third quarter -- on a play that was supposed to be a pass -- and the Streaks went on from there.
"He had a couple different options," Melnyk said. "Brady took the last option --pull it down and run. He just made a great athletic play."
Souders said his primary receiver was quarterback Jon Yuko, who lined up wide, as is typical for a QB in the Razorback//Wildcat. But Yuko didn't get a clean release off the line, and Souders, rolling to the right, elected to tuck the ball and cut back to the middle of the field. He found scant resistance there, and was able to take it in for the score.
"We didn't keep contain," Mounts coach Jim Vieland said. "That kills you every time."
Seems like those sorts of things happen a lot against this offense.
"I like it," Souders said, "because there's always an open spot to run to. ... I personally like it, because it's me, one-on-one with the defense."
Souders' run had been set up by Brian Sourber's 63-yard return of the second-half kickoff, to the Ephrata 23. It took five plays for Township to score from there.
Yuko sneaked a yard for the game's other TD with 8:15 left in the game, and the Township defense limited the Mounts to 153 yards. Linebacker Moyo Oluleye had a pair of first-half sacks, as well as another tackle for loss, but was forced to leave the game in the third quarter with leg cramps.
The Mounts, 0-10 a year ago, did assemble two promising second-half drives.
But the first ended when running back Tim Murray lost a fumble at the Township 25 with 3:05 left in the third quarter and his team trailing 7-0, and the other ended on downs, again at the visitors' 25, with 4:35 left in the game.
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