Armwood Preps For Ely, More-Balanced Plant Offense

It's safe to say Armwood High's defensive coaches have had their hands full in recent years game-planning for Plant High and its standout quarterbacks Robert Marve and Aaron Murray.

With a relatively new, unheralded signal-caller under center in sophomore Phillip Ely starting tonight's Class 4A regional final, one might assume the Hawks' staff could relax knowing an All-American wouldn't be leading the Panthers' offense.

That would be a mistake.

The Ely-led Panthers pose a different set of challenges for Armwood's defense, which had been used to gearing up solely for Plant's pass-happy offense. The Hawks have essentially has had to start game-planning from scratch for an offense it thought it had figured out, considering their success against Plant during the last few meetings.

"Going against Aaron Murray, even Robert Marve, you're going in knowing they're throwing the ball 40 times a game. You look at the way Plant's offense is now, they actually won a game without throwing a touchdown. They're more balanced, and they're running the ball good," longtime Armwood defensive coordinator Matt Thompson said.

"We've had to focus on the run a lot more this week than we have in the past. In the past, we'd run a two-linebacker set, and I'd just take my chances with two linebackers. Now I've got to leave three linebackers, four linebackers in because they're running the ball more, and they're a threat running the ball."

The Panthers' offense has certainly changed since Murray suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 7 against Hillsborough. In the five games prior to that game with Murray at quarterback, Plant averaged 332 passing yards per game and just 93 rushing. In the six games since Ely took over for Murray, the Panthers have averaged 164 yards rushing and 219 passing.

The running game has been led by senior tailback Marco Cobb and senior fullback Chris Hesson.

"It's been an adjustment to what we have on the field, but also it's the natural development of our running game," Plant coach Robert Weiner said. "Marco Cobb has emerged as one of our really, really good players. Chris Hesson has taken the trademark that is his and upped it to the next level.

"For us, it's a great little combo. It's a great little thunder-and-lightning deal. I think in what we do now, we present some matchup problems, and we present some diversity problems for the defenses that play against us."

A lot of those problems arise because of Ely. He's not Marve, who led Plant to the state title in 2006, or Murray. But Ely has been efficient, throwing for 1,609 yards and 17 touchdowns. Although the Hawks have yet to play against Ely, they've been impressed with what they've seen on film.

"He can throw the ball pretty good," Thompson said. "I'm watching him throw these balls [on film], and he's got a pretty strong arm for a young kid. And Weiner's done a great job [with Ely]. He knows what the kid can do and what he can't do."