The football team has changed its offensive style this year in order to better reflect the type of players at Marshall, according to freshman football coach Jason Planakis.
?We have moved from a pro-style I-back offense to a double-wing triple-option offense,? Planakis said.
Last spring, seventh and eighth graders were brought to Marshall to begin training and conditioning and have been working together with other football players since.
According to Planakis, coaches dedicate 30 hours per week to training the players in-season from Aug. 12 to Nov. 5.
Freshman Stephen Schatz, playing for junior varsity, said that the team practiced ?every day except for Sunday.?
On weekdays, all football players practiced from 2:30 to 6:15 pm.
?Saturday morning practice can be from eight to twelve or nine to twelve depending if the coaches are feeling nice or not,? junior and varsity player Jonathan Gracia said.
Director of student activities Joe Swarm said that ?the team this year [is] very young in almost every position on the field. This should prove to be a positive impact in the future, but will certainly provide some growing pains.?
Planakis said that he was looking forward to developing the less experience players into full-fledged varsity players by the end of the season and winning some games. The biggest challenge he anticipated this season was improving the players each week.
?At a small school like Marshall many of our players [have] positions on offense and defense. When we lose one player, we lose two positions,? Swarm said. ?This certainly [impacts] us negatively with losing an experienced player in two positions, but [provides] opportunities for other players.?
?Success can be measured in multiple ways. If the players maximize their developing potential, their success in their growth will result in success on the scoreboard,? Swarm said.