Glenn Football: No Huddle, No Mercy

It’s one of the most fascinating sights you’ll ever see on a football field.

receivers and linemen resemble impatient commuters between plays, looking at invisible wristwatches while waiting for the next train. Except opposing defenses know them as the Long Island Express.

Whenever Glenn takes the field on offense, the Knights never huddle and they never ever let up. They go from whistle to snap inside of 20 seconds.

And by the fifth play of a drive – if they haven’t already reached the end zone – you can see exhaustion register in the eyes of defenders, who rest arms on hips and gasp to catch up.

“We set a tempo with the no huddle that doesn’t give defenses a chance to set up or adjust to our formation,” Glenn senior quarterback Rich Czeczotka said.

Credit a wrist band each offensive player carries that allows for Glenn coaches to signal in a play while all 11 players wait in formation at the line of scrimmage. Plays are numbered in an easy-to-read grid.

“Coach preaches, ‘Six-second players,’” Glenn senior wideout Ryan Wagner said. “So that’s what we do. We try to go as hard as we possibly can for six seconds on each play.”

This is fast break football unlike anything else on Long Island. And it’s highly effective. 

Top-seeded Glenn (9-1) faces No. 2 Amityville (9-1) in the at Stony Brook University’s LaValle Stadium. This is the fourth straight title game appearance for .

Shanahan used the no-huddle, empty backfield, spread offense to put up video game numbers a year ago as the and captured the program’s first Long Island championship.

"We're playing basketball on grass over here," Shanahan said. "We spread them out, get the ball to our athletes and they make plays."

With playbooks condensed to the size of arm bands and a core group of players conditioned to play at an incredibly high tempo, Shanahan pushes opposing teams to the limit and then searches for weakness. 

“You can point out people on the defense who are tired,” Czeczotka said. “We just run plays at them. When you know who’s tired, you know where to go with the ball. It’s easy reads.”

Czeczotka has completed 96 of 137 passes for 1,576 yards and 22 touchdowns. His 70 percent completion rate was highlighted by a against Hampton Bays. Czeczotka has also rushed for 548 yards and 13 scores.

“Rich is a great quarterback,” said Wagner, his main downfield target. “If he sees a matchup he likes he has the freedom to check the play to what he wants.” 

The Knights have put up 378 points (nearly 38 points per game) while playing starters little more than three quarters. The average halftime score is 27-5. Eight offensive touchdowns have gone for 50 yards or more.

“Rich has to know what everyone on the field is doing and he does a great job of that,” said Wagner, who has 31 receptions for 691 yards (good for 22 yards per reception) and 12 touchdowns. He also has an 80-yard touchdown run and an 88-yard kickoff return to his credit. 

Russ Cellan’s Freeport teams used a spread offense to great effect in the early 2000s. Shanahan was sold and tailored his offense to fit the athletes Glenn produced. Freeport, Amityville and Floyd, teams still alive in the playoffs, each run some version of the no-huddle.

Glenn sometimes lines up with no play called, just to set the defense. Only then do they dial up a play meant to take advantage of the defensive alignment. Signals are barked out by first-year Offensive Coordinator Greg Lauri. The wrist band, implemented a few seasons ago, speeds the game up. 

"It takes the kids away from their defensive coordinator," Shanahan said. "They've lost contact with their coaches and they can't substitute either." 

Fatigue is what Glenn exploits to wins games late. Unpredictability is what keeps defenders guessing throughout. When , in the semifinals on Saturday, its first play from scrimmage offered a new wrinkle that running back Tom Forsberg turned into an 80-yard touchdown run.

Forsberg, standing next to his quarterback, took a direct snap that caught Babylon flat-footed.

Forsberg has been the X factor all season. He has rushed for 922 yards on 96 carries (a remarkable 9.6 yards per attempt) and 7 touchdowns. Forsberg also has two defensive scores, a punt return for a score and a receiving touchdown.

There are so many ways Glenn can beat you. The clock is just one of them.

“Some kid turned to me and asked, ‘Please slow it down,’” Czeczotka said.  

Stop them if you can. The Knights have no intention of letting up until they reach their final destination.