Easthampton’s offense gives opposing defenses two options: Stop Jacob Neumann up the middle or contain Marcus O’Meally on the outside.
Neither is easy to execute.
Neumann rushed for over 1,300 yards last season as a sophomore. The junior running back picks up first downs by lowering his shoulders at the line of scrimmage and carrying would-be tacklers along with him.
O’Meally has been a big-play machine for Easthampton so far this season. The junior wing back has rushed for 231 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries through two games. He also had a 40-yard receiving touchdown against Greenfield last Friday.
The Eagles use a wing-t scheme on offense — one of the oldest concepts in modern football. The scheme uses several different formations, but usually calls for one running back in the backfield and a wing back near the line of scrimmage next to the tight end.
“That’s our identity,” Easthampton offensive coordinator James Buckley said on the wing-t. “But it isn’t your grandfather’s wing-t. It’s not Tubby Raymond. When you have the backs that we have, you want to attack the perimeter. … That is just the way football is going. Spread them out and be fast more than physical with the downhill running game. We have the luxury between Neumann and O’Meally.”
O’Meally played wide receiver last fall and consistently played on defense as a cornerback. At the conclusion of last season, he went to the team’s coaching staff and suggested a move to wing back.
To increase his speed, the junior joined Easthampton’s track & field team. He has competed in the 100-meter dash, high jump, 4×100 relay, and 200 dash. He dedicated last summer to speed and weight training.
O’Meally has been a “pleasant surprise,” Easthampton coach Matt Bean said. “He’s an athlete and he’s fast. I knew he would make the transition, but he has gone above and beyond.”
Wing backs have to be able to receive handoffs and get open in the passing game. Since O’Meally played running back in middle school and wide receiver his first few years of high school, the transition has been seamless.
“You’re still an athlete. Instead of catching screen passes you’re catching tosses out of the backfield,” Buckley said. “We are asking our athletes to be exactly that. Just go be an athlete.”
With O’Meally breaking for big runs on the perimeter and Neumann pounding the interior, opponents are put into a difficult situation.
Defenses “can’t take everything away,” Buckley said.
The backfield duo of Neumann and O’Meally has helped the team’s offense in some unexpected ways.
The Eagles lost most of their starting offensive linemen to graduation last season – Mason Donnis is the team’s only returning starter. The coaching staff anticipated a rebuild of the group coming into the year, but, while there are still plenty of things to improve on, the unit has fed off of the team’s production out of the backfield.
“Our line (is) confident in what they’re doing,” Buckley said. “That will lead to potential success down the road.”
Neumann and O’Meally have been playing football together since middle school and have grown closer over the years. With the addition of O’Meally into the backfield, Neumann is eager to share the spotlight.
“It feels good that when they are stopping me up the middle I can trust my guy on the outside,” Neumann said. “If they stop Marcus on the outside, I can run up the middle. If they’re stopping me, they can’t stop Marcus. … It’s a back-and-forth thing.”