3 Ride Passing Lane Straight to the Top : High school football: Hart, Newbury Park and L.A. Baptist prosper with the run-and-shoot.

Some dismiss it as the latest high school fad in pads, a passing fancy of aerial acrobatics.

Yet three area teams that employ variations of the run-and-shoot offense have made a run-of-the-mill running attack appear passe.

* Marmonte League champion Newbury Park High (10-0), ranked No. 1 in Southern Section Division III, averages 305 passing yards and 41 points a game.

* Foothill League champion Hart (9-1), ranked No. 3 in Division II, averages 242 passing yards and 34 points.

* Alpha League champion L.A. Baptist (9-0), ranked No. 1 in Division X, averages 262 passing yards and 35 points.

Traditionalists who say, “This too shall pass,” perhaps should be saying, “We too shall pass.”

Several teams in the region throw more than run--Quartz Hill, Westlake, Palmdale and North Hollywood among them.

But only Hart, Newbury Park and L.A. Baptist have won by investing exclusively in a passing portfolio that utilizes four or five wide receivers on every play.

Hart employs a true no-huddle run-and-shoot, with the receivers creating their patterns after the snap based on the defensive coverage.

Newbury Park does not huddle and lines up in run-and-shoot formations, but most of the receivers’ patterns are predetermined.

L.A. Baptist uses something of a wishbone with wings, having simply moved the halfbacks from its traditional wishbone offense into slotback positions. From this alignment the team throws like crazy without surrendering the ability to run the option. And defenses no longer crowd the line of scrimmage.

The particulars differ, but the result is the same: a joyous jet stream that enthralls fans the way any air show is designed to do.

“It’s real exciting football to see the ball flying in the air all the time,” Newbury Park quarterback Keith Smith said.

THE PASSERS

Flying in the face of conventional wisdom, a high school team can have a potent offense without a strong running attack.

In its absence must be a quarterback who is versatile, intelligent and throws accurately.

The run-and-shoot requires a superior athlete at quarterback simply because he is in possession of the ball so often.

“Our offense is so great from the quarterback’s point of view, it’s like a fantasy,” Hart quarterback Mike Kocicka said. “I get to spread the ball around and I get to run the ball. It’s the best offense to show my skills.”

Kocicka, sixth in the state in passing, has flourished by stepping smoothly into a Hart system that has brought out the best in a long line of talented quarterbacks.

Smith, the state leader in passing yardage and touchdowns, has transformed a Newbury Park team traditionally as earth-bound as a caterpillar into a stunningly elusive butterfly.

Zack Hernandez, fourth in the state in passing, is the field general of an L.A. Baptist band of career foot soldiers who have become senior year bombardiers.

“Throwing the ball 31 times instead of three is my idea of a great offense,” said Hernandez, who was weaned on the wishbone at L.A. Baptist and by Tom Hernandez, his uncle and the former coach at option-oriented San Fernando High.

Beyond the quarterbacks’ necessary physical skills, an ability to think clearly and quickly under pressure is crucial.

Detecting an impending blitz and recognizing the difference between man-to-man and zone pass coverage is as important as throwing a tight spiral.

Smith, Kocicka and Hernandez, quick-draws all, estimate they change the play at the line of scrimmage at least half the time.

“Defenses try to confuse me and mess me up,” Smith said. “We’ll audible and hit them quick.”

Kocicka made a read in the third quarter against Canyon last week that propelled Hart to the league championship. Recognizing an impending blitz, he called an audible from the shotgun formation, informing his linemen that he would run a quarterback draw through the hole left by the blitzing linebacker.

Result: a 34-yard touchdown run that gave Hart a 10-point lead en route to a 35-18 victory.

THE RECEIVERS

John McLaughlin, Hart’s hulking 6-foot-4, 220-pound wide receiver, is as fearsome looking as a Tim Burton character with muscles: He has become every defensive back’s nightmare before Christmas.

Yet he was afraid that after having played defense almost exclusively last season, learning the intricacies of the run-and-shoot would be impossible.

“Last year I’d watch the offense and say forget it,” he said. “I had no clue what they were doing. But I focused on it all summer and picked it up.”

Developing a sharp passing attack for a high school team has become immeasurably easier since the advent of summer passing leagues whose schedules rival that of major league baseball. Before practice begins in the fall, receivers have learned to read pass coverages and have developing timing with their quarterback.

The coaches, in turn, develop confidence that their receivers will make sound decisions. Each run-and-shoot play, after all, is a high-speed trust walk that requires more reading than English class.

At Hart, each receiver--wideouts McLaughlin and Soren Halladay, and slotbacks Mark Mahone and Cameron Perry--must decide among three patterns after the ball is snapped.

At L.A. Baptist, the primary receiver--usually Jim Romero, Dana Berg or Matt Hernandez--has three choices while the others run predetermined routes.

At Newbury Park, wideouts Leodes Van Buren and Jason Tucker often choose between a short or a deep pattern. Slotbacks Rich Adams, Stewart McGugan and Trevor Coville run predetermined routes.

“You have to control your thoughts under pressure, be clear-minded on the football field,” Halladay said. “It’s pretty cool to be in an offense where you make your own decisions.

“When everything works out well, it seems like you’ve accomplished more.”

THE BLOCKERS

As in any offense, the building blocks in a pass or fail system are just that: blocks.

“The run-and-shoot is gonna be the ugliest thing in the world if people don’t block,” said Dean Herrington, Hart offensive coordinator. “The offensive line is the most important element.”

Although pass blocking is a more passive endeavor than the drive blocking that spearheads a running offense, linemen at Hart, Newbury Park and L.A. Baptist are held in high esteem.

“In high school, the standard way to stop the pass is to blitz the quarterback,” L.A. Baptist Coach Mark Bates said. “Our linemen have done a super job picking up blitzes.”

Like a Secret Service agent, a good lineman avoids the limelight while providing superb security.

If they wouldn’t mind, how about taking a bow on the way to their next three-point stance. . . .

Newbury Park: Mark Davis, Tony Weak, Eric Crain, Justin Simo, Eric Masaki.

Hart: Josh Lopez, Marty Crowder, Paul Walters, Sant Sikand and Brett Van Houghton.

L.A. Baptist: Henry Matthews, Brian Lynch, John Pinto, John Palmerson and Dave Clark.

Blocking well is also the primary responsibility of the single setback. Ted Iacenda is a quality receiver who gives Hart a dimension Newbury Park and L.A. Baptist lack, but if he were a poor blocker, he wouldn’t be on the field.

L.A. Baptist running back Jeff Symington is a blocker first and short-yardage specialist second. Tony Robertson and Albert Reddick, who alternate at running back for Newbury Park, are smallish scatback types who nevertheless block well.

Littered behind every electrifying record set by Smith and Van Buren (the state’s all-time leading receiver), behind every imaginative call by Panther offensive coordinator Gary Fabricius, are several opponents knocked to the ground.

“Line play is the foundation for everything we accomplish,” Newbury Park Coach George Hurley said.

THE SYSTEM

To believe the coaches, defenses might as well not even prepare for the run-and-shoot.

“In theory, you can’t stop it,” Herrington said. “We stop ourselves sometimes with turnovers and mistakes. But that’s it.”

Similar boasting has been made about every alignment since the single wing. The run-and-shoot does have its detractors.

Common gripes are that it is not conducive to scoring from inside the 10-yard-line or running time off the clock to protect a lead.

That criticism is blunted in the high school ranks because of the quarterback’s willingness to run. Smith, Kocicka and Hernandez are among their team leaders in carries and rushing touchdowns. “I’m looking to scramble,” Smith said. “I love to make people miss.”

Because L.A. Baptist’s run-and-shoot is a derivative of the wishbone--offensive coordinator Greg Frazier calls it “air option”--the Knights have run the option with success close to the goal line, scoring 23 rushing touchdowns.

High school defenses face a more severe challenge in preparing for the run-and-shoot than do college or professional teams that replace slower linebackers with a fifth and sixth defensive back.

A high school coach is reluctant to remove his standout muscle-bound middle linebacker in favor of a second-string defensive back.

“We exploit mismatches,” Herrington said. “There’s no way a linebacker can cover our slotbacks.”

Also, most high schools play an attacking defense, capitalizing on the exuberance and aggressiveness of teen-age athletes. Yet the most effective alignment against the run-and-shoot is a passive zone. Man-to-man pass coverage and blitzing linebackers play into the hands of a run-and-shoot quarterback.

“I love it when they blitz,” Smith said. “They can forget it. My receivers will be open.”

Open receivers, perplexed defenses, whopping point totals, strings of victories. The run-and-shoot has three teams soaring into the playoffs.

And the spirits of their true believers soar as well.

“It is by far the best thing to do at the high school level,” Herrington said.

Tossing Up Big Numbers

Although the way they spread the workload differs, three area high school teams have found success employing variations of the run-and-shoot offense. Here is a look at their effectiveness and the contributions of key players:

Newbury Park (10-0)

Offense Rush Pass Tot Avg Team 1127 3050* 4177* 417.7*

*--First in region

Scoring Pts Opp Avg Team 410 109 41-11

Passer PA PC Yds TD Keith Smith 284* 195* 3040* 31*

*--First in region

Rusher Att Yds Avg TD Albert Reddick 43 403 9.4 7 Keith Smith 63 331 5.3 7 Tony Robertson 45 287 6.4 3

Receiver No. Yds Avg TD Leodes Van Buren 80* 1270* 15.9 15* Jason Tucker 48 939 19.6 8 Stewart McGugan 23 257 11.2 1 Rich Adams 21 225 10.7 4 Trevor Coville 15 243 16.2 2

*--First in region

L.A. Baptist (9-0)

Offense Rush Pass Tot Avg Team 823 2617 3440 382.2

Scoring Pts Opp Avg Team 313 107 35-12

Passer PA PC Yds TD Zack Hernandez 262 156 2617* 19**

*--Second in region. **--Fifth in region.

Rusher Att Yds Avg TD Jeff Symington 61 399 6.5 2 Zack Hernandez 66 116 1.8 4

Receiver No. Yds Avg TD Jim Romero 59 1115 18.9 7 Dana Berg 52 867 16.7 7 Matt Hernandez 35 582 16.6 5

Hart (9-1)

Offense Rush Pass Tot Avg Team 1144 2417 3561 356.1

Scoring Pts Opp Avg Team 335 113 34-11

Passer PA PC Yds TD Mike Kocicka 227 134 2401** 25*

*--Second in region. **--Fifth in region.

Rusher Att Yds Avg TD Ted Iacenda 95 544 5.7 8 Mike Kocicka 94 223 2.4 9

Receiver No. Yds Avg TD Soren Halladay 38 845 22.2* 7 Mark Mahone 30 558 18.6 8 Ted Iacenda 24 342 14.3 4 Cameron Perry 14 190 13.6 2

*--First in region