Nevada seeks to establish balance in offense

There is some definite intrigue about the Nevada High School Tigers this season.

Despite having the Southwest Conference passing and receiver leaders last fall, the Tigers finished just 2-8 and had its head coach resign at the end of the school year.

First-year NHS head coach Shannon Jolley, who takes over for John Skeans, brings a "We" instead of "I" attitude to the Tigers, who seek to have a balance of the run and the pass this season as all 11 of their starters on offense from 2006 were underclassmen.

"There's a lot of kids here that played football for four solid years and just because someone's success doesn't show it, that doesn't mean the kids haven't played or worked hard the last few seasons," said Jolley, who was an assistant coach at Jefferson City High School last season after spending five seasons turning School of the Osage into a winner.

"We won a lot of games with the Wing-T offense at the School of the Osage, but our offense will be a multi-formation offense and we'll be able to spread things out, but you might see some hints of the Wing-T."

NHS senior quarterback Ronnie Herda and junior wide receiver Colby Shepherd return from a pass-happy offense that ran out of the run-and-shoot variety.

Herda completed 136 of 238 passes for 2,237 yards and 19 touchdowns. Shepherd, a junior, led the Southwest Conference in receiving yards (1,054) and receptions (42) with six touchdowns.

Wideout Dan Lovinger, now a senior, caught 37 balls for 505 yards -- ranking No. 5 in the conference -- and six touchdowns in 2006. Senior tailback Jacob Cherry ranked No. 10 in conference rushing with 335 yards on 83 carries last year as a junior.

Herda accumulated more passing yards than graduated Webb City quarterback Collin Howard had last season (1,794), making him the hands-down top returning quarterback in the area this season. Howard, who was the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year last season, is a freshman quarterback at Missouri Southern State University.

"Ronnie is one of the many that played a lot last year and these kids definitely know football," Jolley said, "so when we came in, we were pleased to see the knowledge that these kids have, especially offensively, and it has really allowed them to make the transition into our offensive system."

Indeed, there is a winds of change sweeping across this historic Missouri town.

"We're doing a lot of things differently than we did the past couple years," said Herda, who started at quarterback since early in his freshman season. "As far as numbers go, we're a lot stronger than we ever have been and we are more of a run team this year, but we play out of a system of setting stuff up.

"Our next play depicts on what we did the last play ... the past couple years, we were an 85- to 90-percent-throwing team and therefore, I was also pass-first, run second. We broke a couple (school) records. I threw for over 2,000 yards and we had a receiver with over 1,000."

Don't expect Herda to put up those numbers again this season, simply because the Tigers figure to be more balanced.

"I had a good team behind me to help me do that," Herda said of his 2,000-yard passing season. "I was very successful as a quarterback last year.

"If anything, if I have a good year, it will be closer to 1,000 passing and 1,000 rushing. Our line and our backs do a good job with the ball."

Shepherd says Herda shouldn't have trouble adjusting to a run-pass mode.

He's still going to throw the ball to us because he knows we can make plays," Shepherd said. "We've just got to set it up. We're just not going to be all-pass.

"Everyone knew last year that we were going to throw."

Besides a new playbook, theres a new attitude in the program.

"The whole atmosphere is different," Nevada linebacker/offensive lineman Ryan Herda said. "People are wanting to play, and want to play real bad.

"We're so eager this year, compared to last season."

For the seniors, it is a buildup since the group got together a few years back.

"This year ... is what everybody has been talking about ... everbody in the town," Herda said.

Having nearly all of Nevada's starters back on both offense and defense can make the Tigers a dangerous team.

"We only lost a couple starters," NHS senior linebacker-offensive lineman Jerrod Alexander said. "We all know each other real well and play well together.

"It will help us."

The Tigers plan to use a 4-3 defensive alignment, meaning they will do a lot of stunting and blitzing.

"We're being real aggresive in practice, to get after it a little," Alexander said. "We get after it. We used the 4-3 last year, so we're kind of used to the concept of it.

"We'll probably blitz more this year."