The more the game of football changes, the more it stays the same. In circular fashion, schemes come and go. The rise and popularity of the single wing offense first gained fame during the coaching days of Pop and his tailback Jim Thorpe. Though the single wing fell out of favor of professional football in the 1930s, modern day football in the professional and collegiate ranks have various Wildcat Packages to include the Kansas City Chiefs running a play from the Buck Lateral Series during the 2020 Super Bowl.
Incorporating Multiple Single Wing Principles Into Any Offense can assist any football program and take a team from mediocre to good and from good to great. Timeless principles from the sheer power of the single wing to its misdirection are potent additives to any offense. The Multiple Single Wing first and foremost, seeks to be physical, fun, and flexible. Coaches ought to keep in mind that this is a game after all and though fun may have different connotations, it should not be an offense the players dread to run. Secondly, the offense should be team oriented. Football is a team game and engaging all eleven players keeps the game fun and it provides for a great amount of flexibility. Moreover, in an age of quick strike football and high scoring games at all levels from professional to youth, the Multiple Single Wing s philosophy comes from a long tradition that seeks to control the flow of the game with ball control and clock management. If their defense is on the field, then their offense is not, thus providing a tactical advantage. Just holding the ball is not enough, as the offense needs to have quality drives with a score or put their defense in position to have success and get the ball back for the offense. Finally, the offense seeks have tactical balance, not to be confused with statistical balance or a run pass balance. The offense is balanced when it is able to keep the defense from gaining an advantage of anticipating certain plays from certain looks. The offense uses deception through the use of multiple formations and multiple areas of attack from several different looks. If the defense forgoes a shift, the offense now may have a tactical advantage of a better angle for blocking to create a lane for the backs to run. Finally, the last part of tactical balance is the ability to pass the ball when the defense does not expect it either by a quick drop back or a run pass option, or the ability to successfully run the ball when the defense is expecting pass and gain significant yardage. A third element that makes the offense unique is the use of the quick kick when the defense is not expecting it, changing the momentum and field position in a matter of seconds.
Whether a coach is seeking to add a wrinkle to their offensive attack or conduct a wholesale change of offensive philosophy, Incorporating Multiple Single Wing Principles Into Any Offense is a must for any football coach s personal library. Elements of the offense work in sync with balanced and unbalanced offensive lines as well as various personnel groups. Spread offenses with four receivers and offenses with two tight ends can find a niche or series that can be a welcome addition to their base scheme. This book contains well written explanations and numerous diagrams to help any coach from novice to advanced.
Jerry Sarchet is currently the head football coach at Warren County High School in Front Royal, Virginia. He previously served as an assistant coach at Charles J. Colgan High School in Manassas, Virginia. From 2011 to 2018, he was the head football coach and history teacher at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries, Virginia. In 2014, Sarchet led his team to its first ever Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division 1 Playoffs and repeated that feat in 2015. Prior to Saint John Paul the Great, he was the head coach, director of athletics, and history teacher at The Avalon School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, from 2007-2011. Before that, he served as an assistant football coach and history teacher at Harnett Central High School in Angier, North Carolina from 2003-2007.
A 1999 Graduate of Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, he played defensive end and punter, as well as served in the Army ROTC Program. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history, with a minor in military science. Upon graduation, Sarchet was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army and served at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, until 2003. While on active duty, he served an overseas tour of duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. As an Army Reservist, he served a tour of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. In 2007, he earned a Master of Education in secondary social studies from Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. In 2018, he earned an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership and anticipates earning the Educational Doctorate degree in May 2021 from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Sarchet and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Manassas, Virginia, with their six children, JT, Jack, Agatha, Vincent, Dominic, and Lucy.
