Orange County Prep Review / Tom Hamilton : Woodbridge’s Offense Is Wasting Little Time

Woodbridge High School has used an offensive wrinkle to win five of its first six games, the school’s best start since fielding its first varsity football team in 1981.

The Warriors aren’t wasting any time. They use a no-huddle offense that Coach Gene Noji first experimented with in the Central Conference playoffs last season.

“We didn’t originate it by any means,” Noji said. “We scored only one touchdown against La Quinta in the playoffs (a 42-7 loss) last year (and that was scored) after going to the no-huddle offense. I started thinking about using it permanently after that game.”

Noji, with the aid of former players Bill Russell and Rudy Figueroa, introduced the offense last summer. It took three weeks of practice for his team to learn a group of basic plays.

“Each week, we’ve added a couple more plays,” Noji said. “Basically we’re trying to keep opposing defenses off balance. Sometimes, we can keep an opponent from switching to a prevent defense because they don’t have time to make substitutions.”

Warrior quarterback Eric Brougher receives two sets of signals from Woodbridge assistant Rick Gibson and reserve wide receiver Aseesh DeWan--one for the formation and one for the play.

“I picked Aseesh because he’s one of the smartest players on the team,” Noji said. “We mix it up by having the two alternate calling the formation or the play so no one can steal the signals.”

Noji said his team averaged 50 to 60 plays using a huddle. The Warriors had 80 snaps in their first game against San Clemente this season with the no-huddle offense. But sometimes, signals do get crossed.

“We’ve had a few plays run differently than what we’ve called, but nothing major,” Noji said. “I think the offense takes its toll on opposing two-way players late in the game . . . maybe not so much physically, but more mentally.”

Orange Coach Mark McMahon, whose team upset Woodbridge, 23-7, in the Pacific Coast League opener Friday night, had few problems against the no-huddle offense.

“I don’t want to criticize them, but I’m not sure why they use it,” McMahon said. “We were able to signal in our defensive signals quicker than they called their plays. We were never hurried.

“I could see where they (no-huddle offenses) would be a benefit getting your plays off fast, but they (Woodbridge) were using almost the full 25 seconds. Now if you had a veteran quarterback calling his own plays, that would be a problem.”

Although Woodbridge rebounded this season to beat La Quinta, 7-6, Aztec Coach Roger Takahasi said the no-huddle offense didn’t pose many problems.

“There wasn’t any problem substituting players because Woodbridge took practically the full 25 seconds to run most of their plays,” he said. “A couple of times, their wide receivers had to come in to hear the the play the quarterback was calling.

“The one thing I liked about the offense is that their linemen seemed fresh. They get a little rest because they’re not running in and out of a huddle.”

Prep Notes Newport Harbor’s gymnasium will be dedicated in memory of Ralph Reed in a ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. Reed was the first instructor-coach hired by the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. . . . A roast-tribute to Loara football Coach Herb Hill is scheduled for Jan. 29 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. Interested parties and former players should contact Ray Moore at 999-3688 or Alden Esping at 956-868 for more information. . . . Ocean View junior golfer Vivian Overturf, 16, recently set a women’s course record at Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach. Overturf shot a five-under-par 67 with six birdies. . . . Garden Grove is accepting applications for a walk-on coach for its girls’ junior varsity basketball team. Those interested should call athletic director Lisa Sigaty at 638-6173. . . . Jon Samuelson, the Southern Section’s 2-A Player of the Year at Sonora in 1983, will return to his alma mater for Chapman College’s Red-White intrasquad scrimmage at 7:30 on Oct. 29 in the Raiders’ gym. Admission is $1. . . . Former Edison running back Mike Dotterer has been appointed as vice president of the Business Council for the United Nations in New York City. Dotterer was a two-sport star at Stanford University where he holds career hitting and stolen base records in the Cardinal baseball program. . . . Kurt DePfyffer of Laguna Beach set a course record at O’Neill Park in a dual meet against Trabuco Hills in the Pacific Coast League. DePfyffer ran the course in a time of 16:05. . . . Michelle Granger, Valencia softball pitching star, severely sprained her ankle in the Tigers’ volleyball match against Magnolia last week. Granger, featured recently in People magazine, will miss the remainder of the volleyball season but will return for the softball season in the spring. The game story from El Toro’s 49-27 win over San Clemente Friday night was inadvertently left out of Saturday’s paper. The top-ranked Chargers scored on their first four possessions on their way to the win in the South Coast League opener. El Toro quarterback Bret Johnson completed 14 of 20 passes for 242 yards, as the Chargers improved to 6-0. San Clemente’s Andy Greek completed 8 of 11 passes for a season-high 149 yards. The Tritons are 3-3.