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Wallace adjusting to Quincy football
The Quincy High School football team's players have needed time to adjust to new coach Stephen Wallace this season.
Not only have they had to absorb Wallace's offensive and defensive philosophies and tendencies — including the intricate double-wing offense — but they've also had to get used to Wallace's moods, personality and the way he wants things done.
None of this is unusual; all teams must go through a period of transition when a coaching change occurs. By all accounts, the Jackrabbit program's transition is going fairly smoothly, and by next season the players should be used to Wallace's wants, needs and desires and be ready to bust into the Central Washington Athletic Conference's upper echelon.
But Wallace has also had to do some adjusting of his own. Besides learning the personalities and abilities of his new players, he's also had to get used to living in a new town, teaching in a new school and facilitate a transition period for his family.
He's also had to adjust the way he conducts his practices.
In his four years as the head coach at Bridgeport, Wallace never had offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators.
"I did always have two assistant coaches," Wallace told Jack Tracks. "Coach (Mike)Striggow was with me every year and coached the defensive backs and wide receivers. The other assistant coaching position was a revolving door during my time there. I had always coordinated all phases of the game, and now for the first time I have a defensive, offensive and special teams coordinators."
One thing that helped Wallace right away was his familiarity with the first family of Quincy football — the Alexanders. Wallace knew Bill Alexander, Quincy's former football coach and current athletic director, and his family, who also came to Quincy from Bridgeport.
"I know it was a good surprise to him to have so many assistant coaches to help run different areas of practice and game planning," said Scott Alexander, the Jackrabbits' first-year offensive coordinator. "For me, it has been great working with coach Wallace. We were childhood friends that grew up only a few blocks away from each other in Bridgeport. Also, when I took my football recruiting trip to Western Washington University my senior year, he was my recruit host, so that is pretty cool how some things have come full circle."
The fact that the top coaches are all around the same age — Wallace is in his early 30s, and Alexander and defensive coordinator David Woods are in their late 20s — has also served as an advantage in some ways. Sure, they don't have a lot of experience, but they've been able to bond well.
"As for the assistant coaches and being young, I would like to say it helps out," Alexander said. "We may not have the most years of experience between all of us coaches, but hopefully we make up for it in other areas.
"Being that (Wallace) is a younger coach, I think it helps with relating to the kids as well. He has some pretty cool rugby stories that the kids enjoy hearing about."
Wallace has appreciated the extra help his coaching staff has given him, but he has always been a true football junky; after he starred at Eastmont High, he went on to play at Western Washington and probably has never thought about wanting to do anything else besides being involved in football.
"Coach Wallace really is a student of the game," Alexander said. "He is a numbers and game scheming kind of coach, so he does a lot of extra work trying to figure out the best plays and blocking assignments that will help the team succeed. He puts a lot of extra time into watching game film of out opponents in hopes of finding the strengths and weaknesses of out opponents."
Wallace's hard work hasn't gone unrewarded — the Jacks may have only two wins, but that's twice as many as they had last year, and as many as the last two seasons combined. But there is more work to do. Wallace recognizes that fact, and so does his coaching staff.
They're not going to rest until Quincy returns to the level of competitiveness and dominance that it sustained in the 1990s and early 2000s.
"As for the challenges he is facing as a new coach, it will take a bit of time to get all the student-athletes on the same page as him," Alexander said. "He has some great things going with study hall and the weight program. Once we see a higher percent of athletes buying into his program, hopefully only great things will come from it."
The picks
Last week was brutal for me in the pick-ems. I went 10-10, a Kurtis Wood-ian mark, as my recent slide continues. Here's hoping this is the week I start to rebound.
1. Quincy over Grandview. The Jacks showed some life during last week's game against state-ranked Othello, and are showing signs of emerging from a slight mid-season offensive funk. The offensive line is slowly getting better, and it's showing in the team's rushing totals. If Breck Webley and Manny Ybarra can bust a few big runs tonight, Quincy has a solid shot at picking up its third win of the year.
2. West Virginia over Connecticut.
3. Georgia Tech over Virginia.
4. South Florida over Pittsburgh.
5. Oregon over Washington. I'm not totally sure if Oregon is for real, but I know Washington isn't. Will the Ducks get caught looking ahead to next week's showdown against USC?
6. Alabama over Tennessee. Are the Tide the best overall team in college football right now? They can prove it this week in another tough SEC showdown.
7. Penn State over Michigan. I really agonized over this pick. Flip a coin.
8. Kansas over Oklahoma. The nightmare season for the Sam Bradford-less Sooners continues.
9. Notre Dame over Boston College. The Irish are the best Catholic school program for another year.
10. Iowa over Michigan State. The Hawkeyes could be ripe for an upset here, though.
11. TCU over BYU. The Horned Frogs are for real.
12. Texas over Missouri. The Long Horns better show some people something soon.
13. USC over Oregon State. The Beavers always manage to play the Trojans great. This will be another close game.
14. Packers over Browns. I don't like a lot of what I'm seeing from Green Bay right now except for the wonderful Aaron Rodgers. But the Pack does have enough to knock off the abysmal Browns.
15. Chargers over Chiefs. I don't think this is going to be a good game, and I don't think either team will play all that well.
16. Vikings over Steelers. Another one I went back and forth on. If Minnesota pulls out a win in Pittsburgh, I guess I'll hop on the bandwagon.
17. Texans over 49ers. Both teams have looked awful and great this season. Who knows what's going to happen in this one?
18. Cowboys over Falcons. I'll call the slight upset here. Dallas is coming off a bye and is getting healthier.
19. Jets over Raiders. Don't let last week's win over a lethargic Philadelphia team fool you; Oakland is still very bad.
20. Saints over Dolphins. Miami might keep this one closer than people think.
Contact Doug Flanagan at reporter@qvpr.com or through Facebook:
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