The football teams at
Refugio (Texas) always are in a hurry.
Everything the players do is fast-paced. They move so quickly, in fact, that their explosive offense is aptly nicknamed the "NASCAR Package."
Coach Jason Herring told MaxPreps that his up-tempo offense produces "basically a football game on a basketball court for four quarters. We are a fast-break, no-huddle offense. We're not very big, but we have very fast, quick and athletic kids. It fits perfectly with the kind of kids we have. We sprint everywhere.
"We've conditioned our kids in practice. We didn't do it to set records. It was to increase our number of snaps in a game. We never waste a second. No. 2, It puts a defense in a bind, because it limits what they can do."
Travis Quintanilla, Refugio
Photo courtesy of Refugio High
Surprisingly, the pressure-filled offense has not produced a lot of turnovers.
"We were crazily efficient," Herring said. "They only have to learn about five schemes and we run them out of 25 different formations."
The only risk, Herring admits, is that because the Bobcats score so quickly, their defense often has to spend a lot of time on the field and could not be blamed for tiring late in the game.
The Bobcats' style is so effective that they were able to post a perfect 15-0 record and win their first Class 2A state title since 1982. Along the way they scored an incredible 891 points (59.4 average), which is second only in national history to the 903 scored by
Albemarle (N.C.) in 2001.
Herring pointed out that his team always had used the no-huddle style, but the NASCAR package had been used only about five times a year at the close of a quarter with time running out. Looking back, he noted that every time the Bobcats ran it, they were successful, so he installed in full-time this year.
The results were staggering.
Sophomore quarterback
Travis Quintanilla (5-foot-10, 165 pounds) set school records by completing 195 of 285 passes for 3,905 yards and 53 touchdowns. Despite the pressure, he threw just five interceptions. Senior wide receiver
Lynx Hawthorne (6-1, 185) set school records with 74 catches for 1,775 yards and 25 touchdowns. He runs 40 yards in 4.5 seconds and has committed to Baylor University.
Lynx Hawthorne, Refugio
Photo courtesy of Refugio High
The running backs also got into the act. Senior
Shiloh Whetsel (5-8, 165) ran 120 times for 1,530 yards and 26 touchdowns. Junior
Draigon Silvas (5-7, 175) carried 138 times for 1,465 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Just as staggering is the success enjoyed by the younger teams. Playing the same style, the junior varsity posted a 10-0 record, while the seventh- and eighth-grade teams both were 9-0. From top to bottom, that's a combined record of 43-0.
Refugio's eight-man coaching staff may be one of the most unique in the country. They coach all players from seventh grade through the varsity, creating amazing continuity.
"It's hard on the coaches," Herring conceded. "We go fast and furious from 6:30 in the morning until 6:30 at night."
Seven starters will return on both sides of the ball, so look for more of the same in 2012.
