Old Dogs Can: How Lou Cella and the Flexbone Changed Our Season
November 7, 2024
In 2011, after working with Lou Cella as Camp Director, Seminole County (GA) broke the school record for wins in a season and advanced to the Georgia Class A state quarterfinals.
“I have been coaching high school football for 40 years now and began with the wishbone offense, so I had a good background in option football. After spending 7 years with my high school coach and running the power game from the I-formation during the late 70’s and early 80’s I changed schools and incorporated the I-power with the option and ran this offense for years. When the midline came along we added it to the inside and outside veer, but still stayed exclusively with the I-formation.
“I give you this background because ‘old dogs can not———’.
“It just so happens that my youngest son is working with Ken Niumatalolo at the Naval Academy as an offensive line coach and run game coordinator. My oldest son is the head football coach at Riverwood High School in Atlanta, Ga., and has been running the flexbone for several years, but ‘old dogs——’.
“It just so happens that I finally decided to play around with the flexbone during the past two years and thought I knew what I was doing. I gave Lou a call and we hit it off immediately so we set up a camp in Atlanta with my team and Robert’s team at Riverwood during last summer (2010). I learned so much at the camp that we ran the flexbone almost entirely during the 2010 season and the results were unbelievable.
“23 school records including an 11-2 season, the elite 8 in the playoffs (should have won the state bit 5 fumbles in the first half after only losing only 8 during the whole season and playing a metro Atlanta Private School – yes we have problems with recruiting in Georgia like the rest of you do). We rushed for4,373 yard, our Two A backs averaged 11.8 and 10.4 yards per touch, we scored 71 touchdowns and averaged 49 points per game (most games were over with by half with a running clock during the second half). Overall, our backs averaged7.9 yards per carry and that includes the J.V. backs who had over 135 carries collectively for the season. We also threw the seam routes for 880 yards and scored 9 touchdowns. That gave us 80 offensive touchdowns for the 13 game season.
“Lou did an outstanding job at the camp I personally consider him one of my closest friends because he is always avaiable to help. He does such a great job of installing fundamentals and mechanics.
“This was the first 11 win season in school history so remember ‘old dogs can’.”
– Alan Ingram, Head Football Coach
Old Dogs Can: How Lou Cella and the Flexbone Changed Our Season #shorts
