Riverview Sharks Football – Summer Preview: Part 2 Offense.

Offensive is the word to describe the Shark passing game last season. The Sharks are an option team so passing yards are minimal but last season they did not gain 100 yards in the passing game; nonexistent.

This year things look to be much better. Senior Arthur Jacobs transferred over from East Bay to provide some experience at the quarterback position. Sophomores Chase Freeman and Julius Stein will compete for the job as well but Jacobs will probably be the favorite going into the fall, as long as he is able to catch up to the playbook of the Riverview offense.

Jacobs will have to earn it.

“I’m not about to just give away the position to the new guy,” said Head Coach Bruce Gifford.

Whether or not Jacobs starts the year at QB is largely up to Jacobs. Gifford said he likes Jacobs because of his experience starting games but that a lot depends on how Jacobs is able to, “grasp it all."

Moving from a flex wing to a wing offense should not be too big of a step but Gifford as offensive coordinator might have some nuances that will take time to digest.

“There’s definitely a lot of pressure to turn the team around,” said Jacobs. “But we think we can do it.”

Senior Steven Maines returns for his senior year and will no doubt be looked to for both leadership and production.

“As a freshman I always wanted to be one of the guys that carried the team,” said Maines. “Now in my fourth year on varsity, I feel ready to push the team to success.”

Maines rushed 94 times for 752 yards as a junior and scored three touchdowns, averaging eight yards per carry. He’s not really a running back; he's what’s called a wing. In a wing offense, the running backs or half backs line up where you would normally see a tight end off the line of scrimmage or a slot receiver in tight.

Despite the woeful record from last year, Maines got progressively better as the year went on, gaining over 100 yards in the last four games of the year.

“He plays quarterback in our Wildcat set. He’s got vision, he hits the hole hard, runs downhill,” said Gifford. “We think he can get 1,500 yards this year.”

Other Sharks that will be carrying the ball are senior Daryl Gibson and junior Lasander Washington.

Lining up at full back will likely be senior LaDarian Stevenson.

“He runs hard and he runs a 4.5 40-yard dash,” said Gifford. “If he pops through the middle, they better be real fast or he’s gonna score.”

The Sharks will not make many throws to receivers but, when they do, they will be toward junior Chase McCoy who, according to Gifford, has “good hands, height and is one of the fastest on the team.”

What might be the strength of the team this year is its offensive line. Gifford returns five veteran seniors across his front line, all second-year starters.

“They understand why we do what we do,” said Gifford.

This is extremely important to an option offense.

On the right side, Mark Smith will line up at tackle and Tanner Alford at guard. Kyle Lancaster will play center and also defensive end. On the left side, Morgan Boisen at guard and Christian Ovalles at tackle have been together since their freshman year.

Senior Justin Caldwell will be the first sub on the line. According to Gifford, Caldwell has good fundamentals and technical skills.

Stay tuned to Bloomingdale Patch for next week’s story as we go over the defensive side of the football.

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