EAST LIMESTONE OPENING UP THE PLAYBOOK

Spend some time chatting with Pugh, and you will find the same guy who has been East Limestone High's football coach for the past seven seasons.

Pugh is still energetic. When coaching, he is loud. And physically, he's still a big dude who obviously spends time in the weight room.
Combine those qualities and it doesn't take long to figure out Pugh's football coaching profile. Everything revolves around power football.
A hard-nosed, physical mindset is not leaving East Limestone, but with Pugh, a rare transformation appears to be happening.
The Indians are not abandoning their "three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust" offensive philosophy, but the new playbook is getting some principles of a wide-open spread scheme.
"It's a change for us, that's for sure," Pugh said.

 

Offense

Under Pugh, the double-wing formation has become an East Limestone trademark. Players line up in a tight, bunched-up formation, and a downhill power running game was the staple.
But as personnel changed in the offseason, Pugh and East Limestone's coaching staff made a few changes.
With new offensive coordinator Michael Brown on staff, and the addition of Jordon Gandy, a big, explosive athlete who possibly could be the area's best wide receiver, East Limestone overhauled its offensive playbook and added some spread principles.
"Having receivers like Gandy and Witt Black, we felt like we had to find more ways to get the ball in their hands," Pugh said. "This offseason, we've made a lot of changes to our offensive system — really thrown a lot at the guys.
"We've seen some good things from it. We've got guys who can make plays in this system."
Having an accurate passer in Brick Pugh has helped.
During East Limestone's first preseason scrimmage, Brick Pugh had a strong performance, completing 27 of 33 attempts with no interceptions.
"I like the new offense," Brick Pugh said. "It's fast paced and wide open. We're spreading the ball around more, and with receivers like Gandy, there's a lot of opportunities for big plays."
But just because more passes are being attempted, the running game has not taken a backseat. With the spread offense, Pugh said East Limestone is taking a balanced approach, and the old double-wing formation likely will make some appearances.
East Limestone lost its leading rusher, Toren Haley, to graduation. Pugh said Dhaquile Eichelberger is expected to fill that role.
"He's a downhill runner," Pugh said of the 5-foot-9 and 190-pound running back. "He runs hard and has really improved. Hopefully he can come in and fill that role, because we're still going to lean heavily on our running game."

 

Defense

With four starters returning, filling needs on defense has been a priority for East Limestone this offseason.
Pugh said the Indians have shown signs of progress, but there still is plenty of room for improvement.
"In a sense, it's a rebuilding year," Pugh said. "But with that said, I feel like we've got players who can get us where we need to be. We lost all three linebackers and two corners, and that's tough, especially against the gauntlet we're going have to run. But the kids we have, they are competitors. They're doing everything we ask, trying to make us a better football team."

 

Prognosis

Throughout the offseason, there has been a buzz around East Limestone football. The Indians had a solid spring game against West Limestone, and the players seem excited about the new offensive scheme.
East Limestone finished 2012 with a 4-6 record and missed the Class 5A playoffs. To build on that, the Indians have to maneuver through a schedule that's arguably one of the area's toughest.
Class 5A, Region 8 is stacked with tradition-rich teams. Hartselle, Muscle Shoals and Cullman were ranked seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, on the Alabama Sports Writers Association's Class 5A preseason poll, while Russellville also received votes.
East Limestone also has non-region games against Madison County and Auburn, and both made deep runs in their respective classifications.
The tough schedule hasn't deterred optimism.
"There is a lot of potential here," Gandy said. "With all the new stuff we're doing, there's a lot of excitement, and we all feel like this could be a special season."

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