Castro has many options with Elgin offense

Many of us have dealt with the time between classes during our college days where we used that time to play spades, study or chug a Dr. Pepper.

Or, if you were longing to get that degree and coach football, you’d be like Adam Castro and Chalmer Wyatt, you’d discuss the finer points of putting together an explosive offense.

“We actually found each other at Cameron,” Castro said earlier this week. “We had online classes together at first and then we ended up together in some in-person classes. We were both in the social studies program and we enjoyed talking about football and our ideas about how to field a competitive program.”

I would say it’s obvious those two learned a good deal from each other, combining with several other good coaches to help Elgin put together a 22-1 record over the past two seasons. Now the Owls try to add another win to that total Friday when Sallisaw comes to Elgin for a Class 4A playoff contest.

Castro will be in the press box at the Owls Nest, calling the offensive plays that have been so successful this fall. Castro played for and coached with for Brad Widger at Lawton High School and that’s where he garnered much of his knowledge of the game.

“As a player for him at Lawton High, I could see the hard work he put into that program,” Castro said. “To see somebody giving that much effort into coaching opened my eyes to what it takes to succeed at this level.

“He taught me how to make sure all the details were accomplished each day in practice. That was non-negotiable. He taught me that you had to had to be very detail oriented. From the snap to getting guys to make the first step is just part of the system.”

So, what do young linemen need to learn to be successful?

“For young linemen the most important thing initially is knowing their assignment,” Castro said. “They have to learn the right first step and you have to understand who they are as a player. There is no cookie cutter for linemen; they are all different.

“Jace (Williams), Ant (Antoni Ogumoro), Shay (Spencer), Jaxon (Deel) and Hudson (Bagley) are each different in their own way. You have to find a way for them to have success. Hudson is smaller in stature but he’s learning how he can get the job done with his body.”

As those players progress it’s up to the coaches to learn how to help them improve.

“That’s where it becomes fun; you figure out their strengths and watch them progress,” he said. “For some it comes easy; others just have to work hard. I was a 215-pound guard at LHS and I had to find a way to win a block. Or, if I didn’t win a block, I had to lose it in the right position. All of those things come into the process to build a good offensive line.”

Clearly the Owls have one of the best offensive lines in Southwest Oklahoma football, being talked about and compared to the LHS offensive line on the 1987 state championship team that was built around Pro Football Hall of Famer Will Shields.

It is up to Castro to sit atop the Owls Nest press box and call the plays that he, Wyatt and Ryan Breeze feel will be successful against any opponent.

“We come up with a script but we don’t normally stick with it,” Castro said with a big grin. “We put many hours into putting something together and somebody throws us a curve and comes out with a totally different defensive scheme.

“Clinton was determined to stop the run and they did for five plays but we changed a few things and started throwing the ball more. That’s what you can do with a four-year starter at quarterback like Tres Lorah.”

When things need to be adjusted, Castro calls down to assistant Cody Rowell to help make the adjustments.

“Cody is a great coach; he knows the right tone to take when talking to the players,” Castro said. “He does a great job of passing my messages to the players.”

Castro is already planning his next play while the previous call is being implemented by the offense and it helps to have a veteran quarterback like Lorah.

“Tres and I have been working six years together, so we understand each other,” Castro said. “He’s actually helped develop this offense. His dad was a coach and he understands the game really well.

“I remember his sophomore season against Midwest City and we call a split zone play but he notices the defense adjusting so he tells our back that we’re running the speed option and Ritson (Meyer) scores on the play.”

With such a talented offensive group, just about any play will work when it is called and while Castro has many choices, he does have his favorite play.

“The counter is probably my favorite,” Castro said. “It’s fun to watch and coach that play. Teams want to defend it in different ways but it’s a play that we can even improve on. We can pull three guys on it and that’s going to cause problems for any defense.”

One thing that all offensive coaches want to do is make sure they are not predictable.

“We evaluate our tendencies all the time,” he said. “We are at 58-42 run to pass which is what most teams have been giving us. They try to stop the run but when they pack the box we just throw over them.”

So, what does Castro expect from the Black Diamonds’ defense?

“They will come in with a good game-plan,” Castro said. “They run a four-man front and they want to stop the run. They have two good defensive ends and a good ‘Mike’ linebacker who gets to the ball and is a good player.

“They will bring a safety down at times to stop the run and they are pretty athletic back there. They are well coached and sound on all phases.”