Time for gridiron ploys

Ever hear of the A-11 offense? Perhaps you will this fall.

That's right, the high school football season in the Joliet area gets under way tonight, with a nearly full schedule. And while it may not happen immediately, the A-11, born in California, could become part of the landscape in Illinois sometime down the road.

Basically, the A-11 is a variation of the spread offenses that have become so popular even on the high school level. Every offensive player wears the number of an eligible receiver, and every player is eligible to receive the ball.

A center and two tight ends surround the ball, three receivers are split right, three more are split left and two quarterbacks stand back in shotgun formation, one of whom must be at least 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

On any particular play, only five players are eligible to catch a pass and seven must set up on the line of scrimmage. But just imagine the infinite formations an enemy defense could have to worry about.

That's today's game, taken to an extreme. It is another step toward the great equalizer, toward making a team a threat that otherwise would not have much of a chance to compete.

Meanwhile, history dictates that in every season, many teams statewide will finish 5-4 or 4-5. Most 5-4s will make the playoffs, virtually all 4-5s won't.

If you are a team that could wind up in that middle ground, every game is crucial, including those in Week 1.

All three Plainfields -- South, Central and North -- appear capable of qualifying for the playoffs, but for any or all of them, it could go to the wire.

Ditto for Minooka, Lockport and numerous other area schools. Even Providence Catholic, as outstanding a program as the Celtics have, play such a grueling schedule that any victories they can muster in the first six weeks may turn out huge.

And even if you are destined for the playoffs, you improve your seeding with every victory you achieve.

So you go about winning each week any way you can. It may not mean trotting out some revolutionary offense, but if you have to throw the ball to give yourself a chance, it makes sense to do it. If playing close to the vest works for you, so be it.

As you examine tonight's card of season openers, you will notice that many of our schools have games that will be difficult to win. Lincoln-Way East playing at Providence is a biggie right out of the box. You know one quality area team will get off to an 0-1 start.

But how about JCA having to travel to Carmel of Mundelein? Or JT opening at home versus Richards? Or Bolingbrook entertaining Downers Grove South? All three of those opponents are what you would call state caliber.

Most other area schools will not be facing ranked opponents tonight, yet challenges are there nonetheless. And nobody can afford to let potential victories slip through their fingers -- not if your ultimate goal is to make the playoffs.

e-mail: dgoss@scn1.com