Coach Rock Hollis' Tartars are content to pound away at opponents behind their Double Wing-T attack. Key Pioneer League game with El Segundo is tonight.
Click photo to enlargeFrom left, fullback Aaron Salva, guard Leo Fuimaono and running back Jonathan Heard are integral parts of Torrance's Double Wing-T offense.
PHOTO GALLERY Every season Torrance football coach Rock Hollis hears the naysayers, and every year he shakes his head and vows to keep running the Double Wing-T.
"People just hate this offense. They say, `Why do you run that Pop Warner stuff?"' Hollis said.
Sure, Hollis likes to have quarterback Jacob Kalama "toss around the hamburger a bit (pass the ball)," but Torrance is about pounding the ball on the ground, and Hollis will defend the Double Wing-T until the cows come home.
Torrance is a program that typically receives its fair share of talent, but not always a ton of depth. Hollis says the Double Wing-T is an offense that can work year in and year out even without a deep, ultra-athletic squad.
"It allows us to be in games we shouldn't be in," Hollis said. "It's an equalizer and it's a time killer. A couple of years ago we had a 12-minute drive."
If you catch Torrance (3-3, 1-0) tonight when it hosts El Segundo (3-3, 1-0) in a key Pioneer League game, you'll notice the Double Wing-T features a tight formation with wingbacks on both sides of the quarterback and a fullback right behind the quarterback.
Among the plays Torrance uses effectively are a pitch to one of the wingbacks, a reverse or a fullback trap. The Tartars also will pass out of the offense, but sparingly and with
purpose."In this offense, you throw to score, not for first downs," Hollis said.
This year's version of Torrance's Double Wing-T boasts many key components, including a beastly guard leading the push at the line of scrimmage in senior Leo Fuimaono, an experienced fullback who can block or rush in senior Aaron Salva, and an explosive running back who is quick to find seams in senior Jonathan Heard.
Heard took center stage last week when running back Bobby Wilson went down with a knee injury in the first quarter against rival South Torrance.
That meant more carries for Heard, who simply took the opportunity to rush for 256 yards and three touchdowns while dealing with leg cramps.
Hollis called it one of the gutsiest performances he'd ever seen from one of his players.
Heard worked hard in the offseason to improve to set himself up for such a performance.
"Over the summer, I came out here three times a week, and during dead period, I came out to work on footwork and agility drills," Heard said.
His teammates and opponents have noticed the difference in the way he runs.
"He has learned how to hit the hole a lot better instead of bouncing it outside," said Salva, who typically is Heard's lead blocker on the pitch.
"Against South, every play he managed to find a hole or a cutback lane."
Salva, a third-year starter, can be dangerous on the trap and always is an effective lead blocker.
"He's the key on our pitch; he has to get the defensive end - his blocks are crucial," Hollis said. "We're working on our trap so we can spring him."
Whenever a Torrance ballcarrier gets sprung, he often has Fuimaono or one of his buddies to thank at the line of scrimmage.
Fuimaono is a fourth-year varsity player with a zest for getting aggressive and physical.
"He just doesn't quit, he goes all out every play - he's a beast," Salva said.
Torrance relies on its linemen for 3 yards, and guys like Fuimaono and fellow lineman Adrian Skelton are happy to pave the way.
"I tell the line to give me 3 yards and we'll worry about the rest," Hollis said.
Torrance's ballcarriers have shown a knack for going beyond the 3-yard minimum. Heard leads the way, while sophomore Sam Hudson and senior Kamal Miller have breakaway speed as well.
Wilson is a big part of the offense when he's healthy - he suffered a sprained ankle and knee early in the South game and figures to be sidelined for at least a week.
"If we get him back, we'll be churning," Hollis said.
Last year, Torrance was co-champion of the Pioneer League, earning at least part of the league crown for the first time since 2007, when it won it outright, before making a first-time run to a CIF semifinal game.
The Tartars have ideas of a similar type of finish this season, getting there the only way they know how.
"It's just smash-mouth football, that is what we do," Heard said. "That's the Torrance Tartars."
Dave.thorpe@dailybreeze.com and on Twitter @dthorpe888 and @breezepreps
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