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> a z~ ' ;.iVH • • vj«$,*• PAGE IS - PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11,1*1 Hans Rokus Athletic Director NAluN ttf. m Conference A New Start With Penza Monnr Central Catholic high school will see football throua^ *he eyes of first year coach Don Penza in 1981. A 1-C) 'ecord last year after a 4-5 mark in 1979 brougf : Penza out of retirement and . moved him south trom his Wisconsin home in Wisconsin Rapids. Now at the helm of the Hurricanes, the task of revitilizing the offense and turning the football program around is in his hands. Marian has traditionally utilitzed a wing-T for­ mation in its offense, an offense that Penza is very familiar with. At Wisconsin Rapids Assumption high school, he enjoyed a 68-12-2 overall record using the wing-T and he isn't about to give it up, although he has made some modifications. I'll still be using the T-system," said Penza. "But what I do with it may be different than what others do as it can be run in many different ways. One thing is I'll emphasize the split-T a little more." Other variations that he will use include the use of a receiver lined up in a slot position, a "V" formation with a receiver acting as a wingback, an "I" for­ mation and what he terms a "modified I" with a tan ­ dem backf ield. All of which seems complicated to learn, but ac­ tually Penza feels that it is a simple system. He ex­ plained, "We have 26 running plays, but actually only 13 will have to be learned as they can be run to either side of the line." "Also, any of the plays that are run from the "I" formation can easily be run off a "T" set,' he added "Therefore the players will only be working to iearn a few basic plays." These basic plays are what Penza is hoping that the /ounger players will pick up in a hurry. Freshmen will run the same plays as the varsity so he wants them to become acquainted with his system early so that when they become seniors, they will have the system down pat. By the time these freshmen are seniors, they should really know the system and the strategies in- /olved," said Penza. "During that time, they will have alayed in 20 or 30 games and will have come across avery type of situation that there is. They should be *eady for anything." His offensive linemen should especially be ready for anything as he has worked to teach them an audible blocking system. The linemen will be required to call 3ut their blocking assignments as they can scan the Jefensive formation across from them. Defensively, the Hurricanes will show c wide /ariety of defensive formations depending on the situation and also the position of the ball on the field, "he pros have gone over to a 3-4 defense and we'll use that along with the standard 5-3," said Penza. "We'll also use a 6-2 depending on the line that we're on. We're trying to stress that the defensive formation we go into is there for a very specific reason." The first day of hitting in practice didn't go as well as Penza had intended but that hasn't bothered him 'n the past. "| was disappointed, but not discouraged," he said. "I told the players later that it was actually as good a first day of head knockingrhat I've ever had." Over 50 kids had turned out for the varsity and the sophomore team, and another 24 came out for the freshman squad. Penza feels confident in his varsity squad because of the senior members that he has inherited. "I can field a senior team that will be a most respec­ table unit," he said. "They may not all be returning lettermen, but there are quite a few of them and they'll do the job." Seniors that will play under Penza this season in­ clude Don Rickert, quarterback; Dave Rickert, half­ back and linebocker; Phil Brown, halfback; Justin Traver, halfback; Tom Schermerhorn, halfback; and Tom Pappas, fullback. Those are the backfield men. Seniors on the line include Don Fortin, center; Matt Hayden, center-guard; Bill Blume, guard; Mike Fisher, guard; Jim Thorson, guard; Jim Burrough, tackle; John Mass, tackle; Steve Noonan, tackle; Tim Dwyer, end; Jim Huemann, end; and Scott Spengel, end and the team's kicker. During the summer workouts, Penza didn't subject his players to double sessions. They spent the. time learning his system and he feels that they are picking it up fast. "They're adapting quite well," he said. "We've been working on the plays and the different game situation strategies. "They're learning what my interpretation of the game is," Penza continued. "We will be ready." GATHER AROUND FELLAS • and listen to new coach Don Penza explain the execution of a particular play. After 11 highly successful seasons of coaching at Wisconsin Rapids, Penza will try to make some of that expertise rub off on his Marian Central players. STAFF PHOTO - CARL MOE8CHE WIN! WIN! WIN! RROIRTOR SERVICE 3006 W. 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