After a recent practice, Riverside Brookfield quarterback Bill VandeMerkt said during an interview he simply wants to take it one game at a time, do his best and get some help from this guy. “This guy” is RB star wideout Will Lusthoff, who VandeMerkt pointed out standing about five feet away from the junior signal-caller.
VandeMerkt will not only need to identify Lusthoff but virtually all of his offensive teammates as the Bulldogs implement their version of the intriguing “A-11” offense this season.
Developed by the Piedmont (Calif.) High School football coaching staff, the offense is a new, scrimmage-kick formation with all 11 players wearing eligible receiver jersey numbers. In a base set, the offense lines up with a center and tight ends on each side of him, clusters of receivers on the left and right perimeter, and two quarterbacks in shot-gun formation. While only five players can go down field to catch a pass, the defense essentially will have to account for possibly eligible receivers across the entire field.
“Our offense is kind of based on [the A-11 offense], but we are going to gerrymander it to our passing attack,” RB coach Otto Zeman said. “We want to try to leverage teams by getting an advantage personnel-wise with a player or two. We have enough kids who can catch the ball that I think it’s going to be real effective for us.”
VandeMerkt (6-foot, 170 pounds), a returning all-conference player in the Metro Suburban who threw for over 2,000 yards last season, possesses plenty of talent and leadership to lead the Bulldogs. The strong-armed junior will throw passes to an armada of receivers, including all-conference returner Lusthoff, Anthony Kilcoyne, Shane Kilcoyne, Dave Lutz, Jesse Favela, Tyler Wienke, Mark McDonagh and several talented reserves.
“We are running a lot of the same routes with this offense, but we are just putting them in different formations,” Lusthoff said. “I think the impact is going to be huge because it can really throw off the defense.”
Even Poplin (5-9, 160) and Matt Scott (6-0, 205) will see action at center, while Will Hanley (6-1, 180), Nate Burau (5-11, 180) and imposing Hugh Berglind (6-6, 260) will assume the remaining key spots along the offensive line.
Linebackers Marty Calkins (5-9, 190), Peter Szumski (5-11, 205) and Matt Regnier (6-2, 205), along with speedy cornerback John Mossman, are all returning starters expected to anchor coordinator Bob Daman’s “attack-style” defense.
The defensive line starters will consist of defensive end Andrew Biggerstaff (6-3, 240), nose tackle Nick Marra (5-7, 240) and all-conference defensive end Billy Vermillion (6-1, 260), while junior Ian Roberston (6-1, 210) joins Calkins, Czumski and Regnier in the linebacking corps. Anil Thapa, Juan Gomez-Velez and Joe Swon complement Mossman in the secondary.
“I think this is a really good group of hard-working kids,” Zeman said. “We are the defending champions and it will be disappointing if we don’t win the [Metro Suburban] conference again.”
Before diving into conference play, RB faces a difficult stretch of games-Metamora, Nazareth and Robeson. The Bulldogs, who finished 5-5 last season, host Class 5A defending state champion Metamora on Friday (7 p.m.).