Show me the system

COLBERT HEIGHTS

Leander Wallace doesn't know if he would be spending his football Friday nights in the stands or on the field at Colbert Heights, if not for the offense formerly known as The Tony Franklin System.

"If we were running the Power-I or some offense like that, I wouldn't be playing," the Wildcats senior quarterback said. "I wanted to throw it. I wouldn't be playing if we didn't run the spread, I don't think."

Wallace, who was primarily interested in basketball, hadn't played organized football until his sophomore year. It was the previous year, 2005, that former coach Chip Lindsey, a client of Tony Franklin's consulting service, implemented Franklin's pass-happy spread offense at Colbert Heights to replace a run-based spread attack.

Wallace took notice, decided to give football a try and he's racking up some impressive numbers in his first season as the Wildcats' starting quarterback.

The senior has passed for 1,700 yards, an average of 242.9 a game, and 14 touchdowns to eight different receivers for Colbert Heights (2-5, 0-5 Class 3A, Region 8). To Wallace, there's no question how much credit for those stats belongs to the offensive system the Wildcats employ.

"All of it," Wallace said. "There's probably a bunch of other quarterbacks who can put up these numbers in this offense. Our receivers run great routes, and our coaches put us in great position. You can't really stop the spread if you run it right."

It's the same offense that produced Jeremy Yates, the 2007 Class 3A Back of the Year, who started ahead of Wallace the last two seasons. Yates set state records for career pass attempts (1,207) and completions (753) and his 9,580 career passing yards ranks third in state history, only behind current NFL quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and Brodie Croyle.

Wallace admitted that trying to replace a record-setter seemed daunting, but Colbert Heights coach Ivan Denton had a hunch Wallace could step in for Yates and produce.

"He did well in some big games last year," Denton said. "He's got a pretty strong arm. And him backing up Jeremy for two years, he knew the reads, what we were trying to get out of each play and where we were going with the ball."

The knowledge gleaned from Yates was invaluable, Wallace said.

"He was probably the best quarterback in the state, as far as passing," Wallace said. "He helped me with footwork, reads, everything. His door was always open."

Denton also has noticed Yates' grit rubbing off. Yates, an undersized quarterback known more for his arm than his agility, often sat in the pocket and delivered passes before absorbing bone-jarring hits.

Denton saw such patience in the Wildcats' loss to Elkmont last week, when Wallace took a shot to the face from a linebacker but completed a third-down pass to sustain a critical drive.

"We're not exactly the fastest guys in the world," Wallace said, jokingly. "If we want to make the offense work, we're going to have to stay in the pocket, take some hits and make some throws. I saw him do it time after time last year."

Denton still notices some beginner's mistakes by Wallace, the same he saw during Yates' first year, like throwing across his body and into coverage. Wallace made that gaffe against Elkmont, tossing an interception - his 10th of the season - in the end zone to halt a first-half drive in the 38-30 loss.

"We play at a high speed, and we've got to move the ball," Wallace said. "A lot of times, I just try to force too many things."

While Franklin's offensive system "will blow your mind at first," Wallace said, it's not difficult to grasp with a little patience. Wallace said he thinks Auburn acted too quickly by firing Franklin last week, six games into his stint as the Tigers' offensive coordinator.

Denton agreed that the offense takes a little time to master. He remembers not reaching 100 yards of offense against Madison Academy when Colbert Heights first tried what's now known as The System.

To comply with SEC rules, when Franklin was hired at Auburn, he had to disassociate himself from the system he has claimed to have peddled to more than 350 high schools.

As for Colbert Heights' struggles this season, Denton said some of them are to be expected after losing Yates, 1,000-yard receivers Daniel Berry and Jacob Walker and second-leading rusher Corey Speegle from last year.

Having never played a down of football until his junior year, Walker was another athlete attracted by the spread. And as it attracted Wallace, Denton said the Wildcats' spread offense has appealed to other on-campus athletes who might not have come out for 3 yards and a cloud of dust.

"Those athletes are coming out, and they know we're going to throw the football," Denton said. "They know they're not going to just go out there and stalk block all night. They're going to get the ball thrown to them. I can't really think of any athletes in school right now who aren't playing (football). We've got the kids we need, who probably wouldn't have played otherwise."

Contact Bryan App can be reached at 740-5730 or bryan.app@timesdaily.com.