CALLAHAN, Fla. – NewsJax’s high school football Spring Swing continues daily throughout spring practice across the First Coast. Today, we’ll take a quick look at West Nassau.
West Nassau is coming off of its best back-to-back football seasons in school history.
So, how are the Warriors handling that?
By stomping on the gas pedal and speeding up as fast as they can go.
Coach Rickey Armstrong says that the Warriors’ goal this year is to play a fast tempo of football, faster than they’ve ever played. It’s a big change for a West Nassau program that has logged seasons of 9-3 (2018) and 10-2 (2017), and hosted playoff games the last two seasons.
“This spring is teaching,” Armstrong said. “We’re trying to learn a new offense. Trying to go fast. Trying hand signals and go as fast as we can, especially with the new clock rule that’s supposed to set as soon as the play [ends]. … We hadn’t done that in the past. We went fast a little bit by wrist bands, but it’s totally different when you’re signaling plays in and you can go as fast as you can.”
The implementation of the 40-second play clock was approved by the National Federation of High Schools last February. Previously, a 25-second clock was used, but that didn’t start until after the chains were moved and set, the ball was spotted and the official motioned to start it.
Now, in nearly every situation — a 25 will still be used in situations such as after a timeout, an inadvertent whistle, after a score, a measurement to name a few — the 40 seconds starts as soon as a play ends.
For teams like the Warriors, that will means having another play or two already called and ready to signal in while players are still on the ground and coming out of the pile.
“If we can get it going, and we can go fast, I think we’ll be successful,” Armstrong said. “We’ve got some kids that if we get it in their hands, they’re going to do some stuff with the ball. It’s going to be pretty.”
West Nassau ran an average of 48.7 offensive plays per game last year. Going quicker has the ability to squeeze in more plays and make the defense have to up that pace, too. That’s why spring has been all about getting quicker and finding those players who can go as fast as the Warriors need them to.
“You have 15 to 16 offensive players, maybe even more than that,” Armstrong said. “Because four, five plays as fast as you want to go, they have to rotate in, especially if they’ve run an up three or four times. It gets more players playing time, you get more plays, so they get more plays to put on Hudl or whatever, the stuff that they do now. It gets a lot of kids more playing time and they get to do other stuff.”
West Nassau 2019 football schedule
Aug. 23, West Nassau at NFEI
Aug. 30, Lee at West Nassau
Sept. 6, West Nassau at Yulee
Sept. 13, West Nassau at Baldwin
Sept. 20, Bishop Kenny at West Nassau
Sept. 27, OFF
Oct. 4, West Nassau at Bradford, 7:30
Oct. 11, Fernandina Beach at West Nassau
Oct. 18, West Nassau at Baker County
Oct. 25, Jackson at West Nassau
Nov. 1, West Nassau at Ridgeview
All games at 7 p.m. unless indicated