A bit of history of the double wing
Boothbay Region is one of a handful of high schools in Maine to use the double-wing offense.
While some accounts date the double wing offense back to the early 1900s, Don Markham is considered the “godfather” of the modern offensive scheme in football.
Markham designed the double wing as a variation of the Delaware Wing-T offense, a four-back system that counts on both rushing and passing, and puts pressure on the opposing linebackers.
The double-wing offense counts on four running plays and a pass play and consists of two tight ends and two wingbacks.
“It’s a lot more difficult than dropping back three steps and throwing the football,” said Markham, who coaches at Bloomington (Calif.) High School. “It’s not easy at all. It’s harder than running a spread but you don’t need as much talent. You can put together a double-wing offense in an honest two-to-three-week period.”
Jack Tourtillotte, the offensive coordinator at Boothbay Region, believes that Boothbay and Gorham are the only two high schools in the state to run a pure double-wing offense. However, several schools in Maine use a hybrid of the double-wing, including Massabesic, Skowhegan, Messalonskee and Cony.
Other offensive schemes:
Spread: An offense uses the width of the field with at least three receivers and wide splits between the receivers. The offense is designed so that defenses must spread across the field.
Option: One player, usually the quarterback, is the point person, and bases offensive/ball movement decisions by evaluating specific defenders.
West Coast: A short, horizontal passing attack designed to widen passing lanes. Its philosophy is to allow the offense to use the width of the field, not just the length.
I-formation: One of the most common schemes in football. The quarterback, fullback and halfback line up behind the center and the fullback is used in a blocking role in the run-based offense.
Boothbay Region faces Foxcroft Academy at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium for the Class C championship.
Posted at 11:40 AM
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