SYRACUSE — The Flexbone offense has come to Wawasee with the arrival of new head football coach Matt Thacker.
After meeting with seniors and coaches, the acronym F.E.A.S.T. (Family, Effort, Attitude, Selfless, Team) has been created as a path for the 2024 Warriors.
The Flexbone is a triple-option scheme that includes a quarterback, five offensive linemen, three running backs and varying numbers of tight ends and wide receivers.
In the mix at quarterback are junior Cameron Senter and sophomores Kaden Andrew and Johnny Zachary.
Halfbacks include seniors Carson Nine, Bradyn Pike (14 points in 2023) and Reed Reidenbach (17 points in 2023) and sophomores J'ceon Evans and Luke Lehman.
Senior Barrett Kelly and juniors Jayden Stahl and Kassidy Carter are front-runners at fullback.
Senior Carter Coday and sophomore Jaylen Lowery are the leading wide receivers.
The tight end corps features Andrew and senior Dallas Miller (12 points in 2023).
The offensive line also includes junior Benjamin Brace at center, senior Cooper Garden and junior Addison Hatfield at guards and junior Derek Morrison and so Blake Rolston at tackles.
“You can plug and play a multitude of kids into the offense,” says Thacker, whose Warriors become the third Flexbone team in the Northern Lakes Conference with Mishawaka and Warsaw. “Our concepts are pretty basic. It honestly, it gets to the what, truly, what football is truly all about. It's, it's a it's a tough sport, and being tough is OK.
“It also plays into the culture that we're trying to develop.”
The key to Flexbone is smoothly getting the ball in the QB’s hands.
“Our biggest issue at this point has been quarterback center exchanges, because we’re not a shotgun you team anymore,” says Thacker. “Going under center we have to take multitude of snaps every day of practice.”
Wawasee’s base defense is a 3-4 with ends Kelly (62 total tackles in 2023) and Morrison and tackles Miller (26 total tackles in 2023) and Stahl the top linemen.
Linebackers are Brace, Nine, Kassidy Carter and sophomores Jaxon Brown and Max Pena.
Leading the way at free safety are Lowery and senior Mason Kunish.
Strong safeties look to be Lehman and Reidenbach (42 total tackles in 2023).
The cornerbacks crew includes Pike, Coday, Evans and Senter.
Kickers are Reidenbach and sophomore Logan Hoffer with punters as Pike and Reidenbach.
Thacker is Wawasee’s offensive coordinator and Andy Zaebst defensive coordinator. Other assistants are Nick Brassel, Chad Brenneman, Brendan Butler, Clayton Cook, Nic Davis, Scott Hatfield, Blake Haynie, Brenan Hochstetler, Scott McDowell, Mark Osmalowski and Chase Pinion.
“Depth could be a good thing for us,” says Thacker. “We’ve got to develop some young kids (including juniors Mason Flores and Alex Tienda and sophomores Parker Schmidt and Gavin Timmons). I like our sophomore class. Hopefully we can develop them quickly but not rush them.
“Continuing to develop that depth and getting better will be a key for us going forward.”
Before heading the Warriors program, Thacker spent the past six seasons as head coach at Fairfield High School where he went 30-32, including 9-1 in 2020 and 6-5 in 2023.
Prior to that, he coached at Warsaw Community High School. He was an offensive coordinator in football and the head boys track coach. He is graduate of Warsaw (1995) and what is now Manchester University (1999),
Wawasee went 2-9 overall and 1-6 in the Northern Lakes Conference in 2023. The wins came against Goshen in the regular season and South Bend Riley in sectional play.
The top three point scorers from that squad — Hunter Tinkey (54), Derek Bontrager (42) and Donovan Blair (18) — and top two total tacklers — Brandon Kelly (77) and Payton Sewell (74) — have graduated.
The IHSAA Class 4A Warriors open the 2024 season at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 at home against 3A Tippecanoe Valley.
After that comes contests vs. 3A West Noble Aug. 30, at 4A NorthWood Sept. 6, vs. 5A Warsaw Sept. 13, at 4A Plymouth Sept. 20, vs. 5A Goshen Sept. 27, at 4A Northridge Oct. 4, vs. 5A Concord Oct. 11 and vs. 4A Mishawaka Oct. 18. The last seven regular-season games are in the NLC.
Wawasee’s last sectional title came in 2004.