All Fun and Games

This is PlayStation under the Friday night lights. It's fast-break basketball in shoulder pads. This is football at Mustang High, a place where quarterbacks can't believe their good fortune and where points add up in a hurry. No gimmick, either. Mustang has become a success because of its system, and while the offense is like a video game and the play book resembles a cartoon, no one on the West side of the state wins like the Broncos do. The best offense in the state also just happens to be a lot of fun to play in. "It's every little kid's dream," said quarterback Josh West. "Every little kid you see starts out wanting to be a quarterback, throwing the ball all over the place. Being a quarterback for Mustang, you get to do that." And you get it to do it knowing the track record of success is long. The Broncos' offense is called the spread offense, but with some differences from most. They run the spread shotgun, no-huddle offense the entire game. They run four or five wide receiver sets constantly and they win at an alarming pace. "We've turned the program around using this offense," said coach Ty Prestidge. "I think if we tried anything else, there would probably be a mutiny." There's no reason for a change. Over the past four years, only Westmoore and Edmond Santa Fe have won more games on the West side of Class 6A than the Broncos, who have won 33 times. Mustang has made the playoffs three straight seasons, including a run to the finals in 2005. Meanwhile, in that same span, Mustang has averaged 34.4 points a game, including 42.2 last season. The quarterbacks have led Class 6A in passing three of the past four seasons and have averaged 233 completions, 3,116 yards and 31 touchdowns. "It's real fun to watch," Mustang offensive lineman Austin Feuerborn said. "I love it. It's all about big plays, spreading the defense and scoring a lot of points. I like watching the plays develop, and when we take it to the house." And no one takes it to the house like the Broncos do, and no one has more fun doing it. The offense is so entertaining, the playbook resembles a comedy routine with names for the plays like "Bread and Butter," "Mickey," "Barney," "Rubble" and "Mouse," among others. "It's so fast-paced," West said. "The ball is in the air about every play. Every other play is a big play. There's really never a dull moment in our offense. That's what people like to see." The offense was developed by Prestidge when he was an assistant coach at Westmoore in 1988. He tweaked it while learning some strategies from former Oklahoma coaches Mack Brown and Mike Leach, and also took some of the ideas from University of Louisiana at Monroe. "The kids believe in what we do," Prestidge said. "We sell them that this works. We work hard on the fundamentals of the offense, like pass protection. It may not be the best offense; it's just a different way of doing things than other people. It's fun, but still a lot of hard work." Mustang's goal is to run at least 80 plays a game, where in most games a team will average about 50 snaps a game. So the Broncos try to make it a fast-paced game to wear down the opposing defense. More plays mean more people getting their hands on the ball and that means more fun for everyone. Mustang usually plays a four or five wide receiver set, so there are plenty of options. Although the offense can produce a standout wide receiver, it's the balance that makes it so effective. Former standout Josh Cooper, who is now at Oklahoma State, had 1,250 yards receiving in an offense that put up 3,650 passing yards. That's a good sign for this year's receivers Dylan Glidden, Nick Cartwright and Anthony Phillips. "It's hard work running every single play," Glidden said. "It's tiring, but enjoyable. All eyes are on you when ball is in the air. Then you know it's going to come back to you and you get to do it all over again." And over and over. The Broncos throw the ball about 80 percent of the time in their quarterback-friendly offense that singles out no one and treats everyone like family. "It's always going to be a committee," Prestidge said. "We distribute the ball. About eight or nine kids catch the ball in a game. Our wide receivers run about 100 routes a day. We have a lot of players who can make plays. The fun part is throwing and catching." So naturally, it's tough to find a player who doesn't like playing in the offense. Even the offensive linemen, who constantly have to pass block, like the run and gun show. "There's not a bad position to play," Feuerborn said. "Everybody's moving all the time. Everybody gets the ball. And we try to play faster than the other team is used to." Fast enough for a successful record over the past half decade. "They have proved that type of offense isn't just a show, that you can win with that offense," El Reno coach Dal Nichols said. "We've taken some stuff from their offense, and our kids really enjoy the freedom it gives them to go out and make plays." Fun, freedom, family, and the fans really like it. "People now realize what the offense is and what type of numbers you can put up. And that it's fun to play because everyone gets involved."