GAINESVILLE — Chestatee football coach Shaun Conley says that, typically, his spread offense takes about "four-five games" to hit its stride.
There is little typical about his 2016 War Eagles, however.
Consider that:
-- Conley took over at Chestatee in the spring, completely changing the War Eagles' styles of offense and defense.
-- The War Eagles were coming off a two-year span in which their ball-control style of attack had helped them to exactly one win.
-- Despite those factors Chestatee is 3-2 in Conley's first season, averaging 30 points per game with a running back, receiver and quarterback each amongst the state's leaders in rushing, receiving and passing.
"I am a little bit surprised," Conley said when asked about the strides forward his team has made, including a fast-paced offense, in just a few months and five games.
"Schematically it's like we're playing ninth graders -- yeah the guys we've got have played varsity ball but we changed the scheme so drastically for them that it was like starting from scratch. But hats off to the kids and my assistant coaches. There were no excuses; they just went out there and got it done."
The War Eagles are getting it done in multiple facets, and a trio of standouts are the beneficiaries of their new spread scheme.
Junior running back Nick Lyles has been the constant threat so far, rushing for 771 yards. In fact his 698 yards through Chestatee's first four games was good enough for the third-highest rushing total across the state. Meanwhile, junior quarterback Storm Yarbrough is now up to 966 yards passing, which is amongst the top 10 percent of signal callers in the state. His top target has been senior Baylee Camp with 487 yards receiving, and last week there were only 10 receivers with higher yardage totals on the season.
"Nick is a great kid first and foremost; the kids and the teachers at the school love him," Conley said. "He's very dynamic, has good size and speed, sees well in traffic; he's the complete back really. ... Storm has done a great job being ahead of the learning curve. It's been a 180-degree change for him, and quarterback is the toughest position in this offense because he has to know all the reads and routes. But he's doing great, and we're not even tapping in to how good he can be yet. ... Baylee, other than Nick, is probably the most athletic player on the team. He's made the transition to this offense too, and he's got all sorts of potential."
Lyles' reliability has formed the bedrock, but the passing game -- both short and long -- has been effective and deadly. In fact it was a 40-yard bomb from Yarbrough to Jacob Goodall that sealed a lightning-delayed, 23-21 win over East Hall on Aug. 26. It was a play that helped bust an 18-game losing skid that stretched back to 2014.
"Right now we're just keeping it simple and taking what the defense gives us," Conley said. "Some people think that in the spread you throw it all the time. But we're not going to force anything; we can be versatile. And the guys are starting to trust us and buy in. They're also seeing that if they give of themselves they're going to get it back. If they block hard for someone else, that only opens things up for them too."
The last two contests -- both wins -- were particularly impressive for the Chestatee offense, as the War Eagles compiled 600 total yards in a 47-30 defeat of Fannin County before showing their versatility in a 38-33 win over Lumpkin County.
Lyles put up a respectable 73 yards against the Indians, but Chestatee still needed Yarbrough and the passing game to elevate against a Lumpkin team that focused on limiting Lyles while its offense pounded out 488 yards rushing. Yarbrough responded with 298 yards through the air -- on 11 completions, five of which went to Camp for 137 yards. Goodall also had 93 yards on three receptions and a score, while Reggie James caught a short pass and took it 60 yards for a score.
"Just being able to move the ball like that -- we had 38 points and our time of possession was 11 minutes," Conley said. "Usually it takes about four-five games with this offense just to see what your strength is going to be, but we've been a little bit ahead of that."
It certainly appears there is strength in versatility for Chestatee. And that includes an offensive line that is also impressing while clearing lanes for Lyles and supplying Yarbrough with time to see the field.
"Nick, Baylee and Storm are getting all the attention, but they (offensive line) are starting to get some too -- like after the Fannin game when we had 300 yards rushing and 300 yards passing," Conley said. "Week to week they continue to get better and better."
That has been a mantra for the entire team.
"We talk to the guys all the time about playing the next play and being better than the play before," Conley said. "And we've been able to get better and improve. It's like night and day from what we saw in the spring.
"That said, we've still got to get better because things are really about to get tough."
That includes on Friday when a Habersham Central team that bears a striking resemblance to the War Eagles comes calling in the two teams' final non-region contest of the year.
Like Chestatee, the Raiders (3-1) are experiencing success for the first time in some seasons. What's more they're doing it with a similar style offense honed by coaches that once worked together.
"(Habersham coach) Benji (Harrison) and I were both at Flowery Branch, and we run the same offense. And while each spread has a different spin, ours is very similar right now because we each have a talented running back and receiver," Conley said.
It should present an intriguing match-up between teams looking to keep things rolling -- and enjoying the process.
"It's hard to describe what this has been like -- to see these guys' faces after that East Hall win... I've been in multiple state semifinals, played in a championship game, but that win over East Hall after what this team -- the whole school really -- has been through... That was awesome," Conley said. "And while I'm glad we have the numbers on offense -- it's great for the kids and the community because they're so hungry to win -- I'd rather win than have numbers."
Right now, Chestatee can bask in both.
