New look for Biggs

Expect a whole new look when Biggs High's football team takes the field this fall.

After years of running the ball straight ahead at opposing defenses, the Wolverines have switched their offense to the fly, hoping in part to improve on last year's 2-8 record.

"I've never run it before in my life," said head coach Mike Pena, who is in his 19th season at Biggs.

Pena recalled hearing Willamette University coach Mark Speckman talk about the fly and how opposing defenses have a hard time trying to stop it. Pena then went to a clinic on the fly offense at Willamette in Salem, Ore., and came back convinced it would be a perfect fit for Biggs.

"We've been really big up front the last decade," Pena said. "But this year we weren't too sure how big we'd be. We didn't think we'd be able to power people out of the way. We didn't think we'd be able to stand toe-to- toe with people."

In addition, Pena said the coaching staff believed the Wolverines were going to have a number of quality running backs and they wanted to take advantage of that.

The fly offense is similar to the Wing-T, according to Pena, in that it involves misdirection and deception.

"The fly has a lot to do with 'who has the ball,'" Pena said, adding it is up to the ball carriers to sell the fact they are carrying the football 20 yards down the field even when they are not.

"If we do it right, it will be hard to detect who has the ball," Pena said, adding that Biggs players have been working hard in practice to run the offense correctly.

While Pena is excited about the prospect of infusing a new offense into the Wolverine's scheme, he is somewhat frustrated by what he perceives as a glaring weakness on the squad.

"We don't have a lot of depth," Pena said, citing a lack of numbers as a real concern.

There were days last week when Biggs was practicing with just 14 players, meaning the Wolverines couldn't even practice full-on, 11 on 11. Pena anticipates the team will field 21 players.

Because Biggs does not have much depth, Pena said the team's strength will be "the ability of our kids to play more than one position. They're going to have to know all the positions."

As an example, Pena said a tight end has to know that position as well as the responsibilities of the offensive tackle.

"And our running backs need to know all the spots in the backfield," he added.

Two players who will be counted on to spark the offense are returning seniors Billy Jackson and David Williams.

Jackson will start at running back while Williams will play fullback, after starting at tight end last season.

The third starter returning from last season is quarterback Jon Seipert.

It appears Pena's initial assessment of an undersized line was correct. Projected starting center Donald Stanley weighs in at 165 pounds, while prospective guards Chase Proper and Garrhett Milburn check in at around 175-180 pounds.

"We don't even know who our tackles are going to be," Pena said, but they will be about the same size or "one might even be a lot smaller."

Proper moved to Biggs from Oregon and is only a sophomore.

Besides the new offense, Biggs faces a revamped Mid-Valley League that looks to be a bear.

"We have our hands full," Pena said. "There are a lot of good teams."

Returning to the MVL with Biggs is Hamilton, which won the Northern Section Division III championship with an unbeaten record.

Joining the MVL for the first time is East Nicolaus, which won the Div. IV title last fall.

In addition, Williams and Esparto both advanced to the playoffs last year. Portola and Quincy round out the slate.

Pena admitted he is not sure how Biggs will do this season.

"We do have a good core of kids who have been working really hard, both in the weight room and on the field," Pena said.

Contact Appeal-Democrat sports reporter Richard Myers at 743-0512 or rmyers@appeal-democrat.com