Playbooks
Franchise Playsheet
High School Run
PlaysheetOffenseOverview
High School Run is a downhill, multi-back specialty playbook built to win at the line of scrimmage. Of its 99 plays, 51 come from traditional two-back looks: I Form (24), Power I (18) and Full House (9). Another 12 sit in Goal Line Offense, so almost two thirds of the book lives in heavy formations. Shotgun (24 plays) is the only real spread outlet, and Singleback (9) and Hail Mary (3) round out the menu. The listed concepts (Counter, Power Run, Power, Run Play, Play Action, Block and Release) tell you the identity: run the ball, then punish safeties who creep into the box.
The real draw is formation access. Power I appears in only 4 of the game's 236 playbooks and Full House in only 9, so this book gives you two uncommon backfield alignments most opponents rarely practice against. Seven personnel groups, including 23, 32, 31 and 13, let you pack the field with fullbacks and tight ends, force base or goal line personnel from the defense, and then use play action off calls like HB Blast and FB Dive to create one-on-one coverage outside.
The tradeoff is a lean menu. At 99 plays, it is larger than only 4% of the game's 26 offensive specialty playbooks, so you get depth in the run game rather than breadth in the passing game. Pick High School Run if your plan is to lean on the clock, grind out short yardage, and let a physical front and a stable of backs dictate the game, with Shotgun and play action as change-ups rather than the main course.
Scheme Fit
High School Run wants a physical roster: a powerful lead back with high trucking and break tackle, a true fullback with strong lead blocking, blocking tight ends, and an offensive line that wins in run blocking. The quarterback needs to be accurate on play action and intermediate throws more than mobile, since most shots come off fakes from I Form, Power I and Full House. It suits a patient, ball control player who likes to wear defenses down, dominate time of possession and win short yardage, not someone who wants to live in the Shotgun.
Example Plays from this Playbook
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Strengths
- Rare Power I and Full House looks: with Power I in only 4 of 236 playbooks and Full House in only 9, most opponents have few reps defending these backfields and struggle to diagnose the point of attack.
- Heavy personnel leverage: 23, 32, 31 and 22 groupings let you formation sub extra backs and tight ends onto the field, forcing the defense into heavy fronts and then attacking with Block and Release and play action concepts.
- Deep short yardage and red zone package: 12 Goal Line Offense plays plus 18 Power I plays give you more ways to convert 3rd and 1 and punch in goal to go than a spread book, with Power, Counter and FB Dive style calls to stress different gaps.
- Play action that looks identical to the run: because I Form, Power I and Full House all share the same run concepts, play action from those sets sells hard and pulls user-controlled linebackers and safeties downhill, opening Corner and Deep Cross routes behind them.
- A usable Shotgun escape hatch: 24 Shotgun plays across 2 sets, including spacing and Slant or Flat concepts like Dragon Spacing, give you a legitimate 2 minute and long yardage option instead of forcing heavy sets on 3rd and 9.
Weaknesses
- Thin passing menu: with only 9 Singleback plays and 24 Shotgun plays, the book has limited true 3 WR spread depth, so opponents who get you into long yardage can sit in zone and wait for you to run out of answers.
- Small overall size: at 99 plays, larger than only 4% of offensive specialty books, you will repeat calls quickly, and a sharp opponent can key on your favorite few plays by the second half.
- Predictable heavy personnel tells: when 23, 32 or 13 personnel comes out, a defense can load the box, nano blitz interior gaps and man up outside, knowing a pass is unlikely to beat them over the top.
- Limited comeback tools: only 3 Hail Mary plays and a small spread package mean falling behind by two scores forces you out of your identity into the thinnest part of the book.
- Depends on the run working: the play action and Block and Release concepts only threaten a defense that respects the run, so a front that wins with a user-controlled run stopper can collapse the whole structure.
Usage Tips
Build your base audible package around I Form and Power I on 1st and 10 and 2nd and medium, pairing a Power or Counter run with a play action shot so you can check between them based on box count pre-snap.
Save Full House for 2nd and short and 3rd and 1 to 3: its rarity means opponents rarely have a prepared answer, and FB Dive or Counter action out of it hits quickly before a nano blitz can get home.
When you reach 3rd and 6 or longer, audible straight to Shotgun and use spacing and crosser concepts such as Dragon Spacing, hot routing the flat back to a slant against man coverage.
Inside the 5, commit to Goal Line Offense and mix the run with Block and Release so the defense cannot sell out on the run; pull the tight end off the block to leak into the flat against an aggressive front.
Use Singleback sparingly as a tempo and disguise look between heavy series, and keep one Hail Mary call in your audibles for end of half situations since the book only carries 3 of them.
Formations in this playbook
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