JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
You can listen to my full ‘5 Questions’ interview with James Capello here!
Click on the ‘play’ button above to listen to my interview with Player of the Week James Capello from Lebanon.
You can also download the interview and listen to it on your favorite mp3 player by clicking here.
And please continue reading for the story on Capello’s big game vs. Ephrata.
LEBANON — It is called the Tony Franklin System – “Air Raid” for short.
It is an offensive scheme hatched by Franklin, an offensive guru who is currently the o-coordinator at Auburn.
It’s kind of the like the West Coast Offense and the Spread Offense all rolled into one:
No huddle. Shotgun. Several receivers in motion and running crossing routes and bubble screens and all sorts of funky, intricate patterns. One back. Sometimes an empty backfield. Coaches relaying in the plays, which are noted on wristbands.
Pretty high-tech stuff – and a thick, multi-colored playbook to boot.
Lebanon football coach Gerry Yonchiuk installed “Air Raid” before the start of the 2007 season, calling it “basketball on grass.”
Lebanon went just 2-8 last fall. But now that everyone has a year of “Air Raid” under their belts, the offense is thriving, particularly triggerman James Capello, Lebanon’s senior blue-chip quarterback.
Last Friday against Ephrata in the Section 2 opener for both teams, Capello continued his torrid start, completing 17-of-24 passes for 308 yards and five touchdowns in the Cedars’ 42-20 win. He also had a rushing touchdown, as he had a hand in all six of Lebanon’s touchdowns, as the Cedars improved to 4-0 overall.
For his efforts, Capello is the New Era Player of the Week.
Through four games, Capello leads all L-L League quarterbacks in completions (60), passing yards (888) and touchdown passes (12), and he’s also rushed for 541 yards – 12.3 per carry – and six touchdowns.
So yeah, he’s got this “Air Raid” thing down pretty well.
Capello sat down before practice on Tuesday to tackle the New Era’s 5 Questions …
YOU GUYS ARE 4-0 AND ARE FEELING FINE. HOW’S THE VIBE AROUND SCHOOL THESE DAYS?
“It’s been really nice. The whole school is behind us, and it’s nice having the whole school behind us. It’s been a lot better than the last couple of years around here. We can’t wait for Friday. We don’t even want to go to school (laughing) … we want it to be Friday so we can go out and play. It’s exciting around here. Winning is fun.”
WHAT’S IT LIKE PILOTING THE ‘AIR RAID’ ATTACK?
“It’s awesome. All quarterbacks like to throw the ball, but when you have good receivers like we have on this team, it’s just fun … it’s amazing. I love it. It’s definitely fun being a quarterback in this system. It’s really complex, but after a while it just sank in. I was definitely thrilled and excited when I heard about ‘Air Raid’.
TELL US WHICH COLLEGE CAMPS YOU VISITED THIS SUMMER:
“Bowling Green, Akron, Youngstown State, Rhode Island, Temple and Eastern Michigan. Rhode Island called (Monday). I’ve been to more stats in the last year than I was my whole life. It was great going to those camps and it was great seeing the other guys … the wideouts and the quarterbacks and to see how good they were. It was an awesome experience.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE HANGOUT SPOT?
“We usually hang out at Jordan’s house (senior Jordan Clentimack), but I’ll say Sheetz. That’s actually a good place to go and get some food and hang out. That’s probably my favorite restaurant around here. Well, it’s not really a restaurant. But they have great ham and cheese sandwiches.”
WHAT’S IT LIKE GROWING UP AND PLAYING IN LEBANON?
“It’s awesome playing in Lebanon. It’s not the biggest town, so everyone knows each other in the community. And now that we’re winning, even more people are coming out to the games and supporting us. So that’s nice.”
