Tecumseh’s wing-T formula: Get the ball to Wasson

Tecumseh High School football coach Chris Cory knows every nuance of his wing-T offense without looking at a playbook. His players, however, are running it for the first time with mixed results.

The offense generated 383 yards in the 31-0 Week 1 defeat of Fairborn. Last week it was held to 136 yards in a 49-28 loss to Butler.

“I understand what they’re supposed to do,” Cory said. “Now I’ve just got to get them to understand what they’re supposed to do.”

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The Arrows’ offense faces a difficult test on Friday night at Bellbrook (2-0), which defeated Fairborn and Tippecanoe.

Cory was the offensive coordinator during previous head coach Kent Massie’s 11 seasons. Near the end of Massie’s tenure the Arrows turned to a spread offense. Cory went back to the wing-T when his offensive coordinator left and he took back the coordinator duties.

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Everyone agrees senior Gavin Wasson should touch the ball often. The 5-foot-8, 155-pounder has accumulated 409 all-purpose yards in two games: 124 rushing, 108 receiving and 177 kickoff returns.

“We’re trying to find good ways to get Gavin the ball anyway we can get it to him because he’s a special player for us,” Cory said.

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Against Butler, Wasson scored on a 35-yard run and a 93-yard kickoff return. On the run, the play started right, but Wasson reversed field and turned up the left sideline untouched. On the kickoff return, he faked a reverse handoff, got near midfield and cut back across the field.

“He made a lot of that happen by himself,” Cory said of the kickoff return. “Vandalia’s got some fast kids and he kind of ran away from those kids. That shows you how fast he is.”

The goal of the offense going forward is to improve its offensive line play and control the ball like it did when the wing-T was leading the Arrows to the playoffs seven times between 2006-14.

“We didn’t help the defense out at all,” Cory said of the Butler loss. “We’ve got to find a way to pound out some first downs.”

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• Springfield (2-0) will play its final non-Greater Western Ohio Conference opponent at Hudson (0-2), an affluent Akron suburb in Summit County. This is their first pairing.

Fairfield and Hudson are new Weeks 2-3 opponents for Springfield, replacing Princeton and Lima Senior following the 2016-17 seasons.

Despite being winless, Hudson is a state power, having played in three straight D-II state semifinals from 2015-17 and on a streak of seven straight playoff appearances. Its close losses are to unbeatens Austintown-Fitch and Strongsville, both established D-I playoff heavyweights.

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Wildcats senior QB RaHeim Moss has 414 combined rushing and passing yards, accounted for three touchdowns and an interception through two games. Xzerious Stinnett, C.J. McDavid, Zack Breslin and Moses Douglass all have double digits in tackles.

Springfield is at Centerville in a Week 4 GWOC National East opener.

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• Urbana (1-1) and host Bellefontaine (0-2) will extend one of the state’s longest-running rivalries. According to Ohio High School Athletic Association records, the Central Buckeye Conference teams have played 106 games, the sixth most in Ohio history. Their first game was in 1899.

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