NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (EYT/D9) — The ball travels about two inches forward. Kind of hangs there after Redbank Valley quarterback Braylon Wagner flips it into the air after taking a shotgun snap, a speedy teammate swooping in to snag it and run.
It goes down as a passing play, but it’s really a running play. It’s blocked like one up front and on the perimeter. The runner has the ability to take it outside, or cut it up inside.
In fact, Redbank coaches consider it just a simple jet sweep.
But the flip does one thing: prevents disaster.
(Pictured above, Redbank Valley quarterback Braylon Wagner takes a shotgun snap and slot receiver Rylan Rupp sprints to receive a short flip pass against Brockway last year. It’s a play the Bulldogs have run to near perfection for the better part of a decade/photo by Madison McFarland)
“The only reason it’s a pass for us is just because if the ball hits the ground, it’s an incomplete pass,” said Redbank Valley coach Blane Gold. “It has nothing to do with statistics. It has nothing to do with passing the football. It’s purely for the reason that if the ball hits the ground it’s not a fumble.”
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The Bulldogs have perfected the pop pass, flip pass, jet pass — whatever the vernacular. It’s been a big part of their offense for the better part of a decade, dating back to standout quarterback Jake Dougherty.
Dougherty threw for 2,302 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2014, including a seven-touchdown game against Clarion that season.
Wagner tied that single-game TD pass mark last week with seven against Kane.
“It’s a big record and it means a lot to me,” Wagner said. “It was always a goal for a lot of the quarterbacks who go through Redbank to be like the guy holding that record, Jake Dougherty. He was a really good quarterback and seven touchdowns is really hard to get and I’m glad I can share it with him.”
Wagner threw six touchdown passes in the first half alone in going 14-of-20 for 249 yards in the 69-6 victory that moved Redbank Valley to 7-0 on the season.
Wagner has completed 75 percent of his passes this year (102-of-136) for 1,768 yards and 28 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Sure, some of his completions are on those two-inch flip passes to players like receiver Ashton Kahle, who has top-end speed. But Wagner has also shown touch and accuracy on midrange and deep passes this season.
(Wagner has also shown arm strength and accuracy on deeper passes in his career/photo by Madison McFarland)
He lofted a perfect deep ball to Rylan Rupp for a 65-yard touchdown pass against Kane.
“People make a lot about it, how statistically it counts as a pass,” Gold said. “For us, statistically, we obviously count it as a pass, but within our room and whenever we break down tape, it’s rushing yardage for us.”
Wagner doesn’t care if he throws the ball two inches or 50 yards.
If it helps Redbank Valley win game, he’s all for it.
“With our athletes and with the speed we have, I just have to put the ball in their hands and they can take it the distance any time they touch it,” Wagner said. “My job is to put it in their hands and let them do the rest. I try to do my best with that.”
Many teams at all levels employ the play, which grew in popularity in college before trickling down to the high school ranks. Even some pro teams utilize the concept from time to time. But few do it with the frequency and precision of Redbank Valley.
Wagner said the team practices the flip pass for about 15 minutes during offensive practice days.
“It’s just timing, timing, timing,” Wagner said. “If our line blocks it, he’s off to the races.”
Wagner doesn’t have a particular technique when it comes to the flip. It’s just all feel.
“I just do what feels right,” Wagner said. “I say, ‘Go!’ and just put it in the air. It’s kind of fun putting it in their hands like that and watching them go.”
Wagner got a taste of varsity football last season, thrust into the starting lineup the night before a road game at Port Allegany, falling 8-7.
Redbank Valley plays the 6-1 Gators again this week — at home, this time — in a showdown for the top spot in Region 2.
Wagner said he hasn’t been surprised at how well the Redbank offense has played this season. The Bulldogs are averaging 54.6 points per game.
“I definitely thought we could do this during the summer at 7-on-7s,” Wagner said. “We were working really well together. And in the scrimmages, we were working really well as well. I knew we always had the talent to do what we’re doing. We’re obviously putting on a show, so I just want to keep it going.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
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