Platte Valley football coach Michael DeWall might not have changed his offensive scheme for the Ty Tschacher who quietly walks the halls and gets straight A’s on his report cards.
But DeWall didn’t hesitate to make the switch for the Ty Tschacher who tears up opposing defenses with smart reads, powerful runs and down-the-field bombs.
“You look at him and think, ‘This is not a star athlete.’ He’s a quiet, unassuming kid, not a rah-rah, cheerleader guy,” DeWall said. “He’s an old-school type of player who is perfect for this new-school type of offense.”
Two years ago, DeWall and his staff needed to inject some life into a stale offense. One of the first things they did was look at Tschacher, who had lined up as a receiver or running back as a freshman and sophomore, and ask what type of offense would suit him.
The answer was the shotgun spread option, designed by college coach Urban Meyer, a scheme suited for quarterbacks who can run and throw.
As a junior, Tschacher took the lead role in the complex offense and had more than 2,000 total yards, nearly evenly split passing and running. But the Broncos lost two key league games and missed the postseason with a 6-3 record.
Not so this season. Tschacher has led the team to an 8-1 record, and Platte Valley will take on former league rival Erie (8-1) in the Class 2A playoffs this weekend.
“The more you run that offense, the more you catch on,” said Tschacher, who owns a 4.1 grade-point average.
Tschacher’s numbers are down this season, though he averages 7.7 yards every time he runs the ball, but that’s because he spent many second halves on the sidelines watching the backups wrap up a blowout.
“Ty is a great athlete,” Erie coach Larry Gartrell said. “I don’t know if you can stop him, so you just hope to slow him down.”
Tschacher, who at 6-feet-1, 170 pounds runs a 4.7-second 40-yard dash, probably won’t get much pine time against Erie. The Tigers, with their double-wing offense, are extremely fast and have been blowing away teams all season. Minus a loss to Faith Christian, the heavy favorite to win the 2A title, Erie has won its eight games by an average score of 42-7. This is the Tigers’ first playoff appearance since winning the 1A title in 1998.
Quarterback Kevin Kosorok has been accurate throwing the ball (62 percent), and he has thrown 13 touchdowns to four interceptions. And there are six backs, led by A.J. Heffner and Cody Fulton, who can pick up big yards on the ground.
“We had some trouble with Yuma, and Erie runs a similar offense,” Tschacher said. “It should be a tough game.”
