Wall Wears Down Mason with Well-Executed Triple Option Offense

SAN ANGELO, TX — After a rough outing last week against a talented San Antonio Cornerstone Christian squad, the Wall Hawks (3-1) bounced back in a big way against their long time rivals, the Mason Punchers, at Hawk Stadium in Wall. A massive night on the ground between the Hawks’ backfield of quarterback Drew Morrison, fullback Dominic Garcia, and running back Chase Rios saw the Wall Hawks pummel the Punchers on homecoming night, 42-7.

Receiving the opening kickoff, Wall’s first drive came to an abrupt end after the Mason defense stripped the ball away and recovered the fumble. This sloppy start setup Mason with a short field starting at the Wall Hawks’ 40-yard line. The Punchers capped the short drive off with a spectacular one-handed catch for a touchdown from QB #12 Matthew Kerr to WR #10 Gage Watson. Mason struck first, 7-0.

Then, Wall’s offense came alive on their second drive of the night. The 69-yard drive was led primarily through tough running by FB #1 Dominic Garcia and capped by QB #12 Drew Morrison’s 1-yard quarterback keeper into the end zone. A missed extra point left Wall trailing Mason 7-6.

Wall’s offense performed like a well-oiled machine in the 2nd quarter, scoring 16 points on two possessions that chewed up most of the time on the clock. First, a 60-yard grind lasted more than 10 plays with a successful 4th down conversion. The drive ended with another goal line rushing touchdown by QB Morrison. Next, following an interception by DB #22 Justis Watkins, the Hawks’ offense again methodically drove the ball downfield. This drive was finished by a five-yard touchdown run by FB Dominic Garcia and Wall extended their lead 22-7.

The Hawk defense made a statement during the first half after surrendering the opening score to Mason. On the following four Puncher possessions, Wall’s defense stonewalled Mason’s attempts to score. Two punts, the interception by DB Justis Watkins, and a drive ending sack at the end of the half sent the Hawks into the locker room holding a two-possession lead.

Wall continued their dominance in the second half on both sides of the ball. Wall’s defense forced a punt on the Puncher’s first possession of the 3rd quarter, and the Hawks answered with another touchdown. As the half wore on, Mason’s offense continued to struggle. They did have some success running the ball, but that success never translated into points. The Hawks’ front seven continually found themselves in the Mason backfield. The Punchers drove the ball downfield on multiple occasions only for a sack to stall the drive each time. A monster pair of Hawk touchdown runs, a 52-yard touchdown run by #5 RB Chase Rios, and a 72-yard touchdown run by FB #1 Dominic Garcia, put an exclamation point on the night. Mason’s offense could no longer find any of the magic they had at the beginning of the game, and the Hawks shut them out in the second half.

The Wall Hawks run away with it, winning with a final score of 42-7.

Watch Wall Head Coach Houston Guy on their win over Mason on Sept. 18, 2020:

After the game, Wall Head Coach, Houston Guy recounted Wall’s slow start.

“We knew we came out flat. When Mason came out and punched (our guys) in the face, it surprised them a little bit...But we had to bounce back, take the football down and answer, and that is what we did,” Guy said.

What allowed the Wall Hawks’ offense to dominate more as the game progressed? The answer, Head Coach Guy’s triple-option offensive scheme. Wall’s triple option is an offense that provides multiple avenues of attack on every play. The quarterback has the option to hand the ball off to the fullback, keep it himself, or pitch the ball to a second running back later in the play. This offense is all based on how the defense reacts post-snap. If the defense crashes inside, the quarterback pulls the ball and runs to the outside. If he is followed, he then pitches the ball out wide. Defending a team that runs the triple option well is difficult at any level of football, even at the college level. When asked about the difficulty of defending the triple option, Coach Guy said, “It’s tough...Trying to defend all three phases of it. If the defense is having success stopping the fullback or the quarterback, then the pitch is going to come open a lot of the time. If you are having success stopping the pitch, then the fullback is going to come back open (inside).”

Not only does this scheme force a defense to play almost perfect disciplined assignment football, but it also allows for an offense to control the flow of the game.

After a solid running game is established, play-action passing becomes another lethal weapon at the offense’s disposal. Other than being mentally taxing, this offense is required to play incredibly physically. The longer the offense controls the flow of the game, the more tired and burned out the defense becomes. Time of possession becomes a burden for the opponent’s defensive squad if the offense is allowed to sustain these long drives. Winning the time of possession and sustaining drives allows the offense to rip off bigger and bigger chunks of yardage as the game progresses.

The Wall Hawks look to build on tonight’s success next week when they take on the Midland Christian Mustangs next Friday, Sept. 26, in Midland, at 7:30 p.m.